By Alexandra Ulmer

(Reuters) -A U.S. Judge in Florida dismissed Monday money laundering charges against Alex Saab. He was an ally to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. However, he is still charged with one count of conspiracy.

Robert Scola, U.S. District Judge issued the order. A maximum sentence of 20 year imprisonment is possible for the conspiracy offense.

Saab was extradited https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-venezuela-politics-saab/cape-verde-supreme-court-rules-on-extradition-of-maduro-envoy-idUSKBN2BA0HQ last month to the United States from Cape Verde, where he was detained in the summer of 2020 on a U.S. warrant.

Prosecutors claim that Saab (a Colombian businessman and key dealmaker for Maduro’s socialist regime) siphoned approximately $350million out of Venezuela via the United States under a bribery scheme tied to Venezuela’s controlled exchange rate.

Washington and Caracas already have strained relations due to this incident.

U.S.prosecutors asked that 7 of the 8 initial charges in the July 2019 indictment were dropped in order to honor the assurances made by officials to Cape Verde regarding Saab’s extradition.

According to the prosecution, officials had promised Cape Verde Saab that he would be only charged with one count in order for him to follow the laws of the archipelago nation regarding the maximum sentence.

Saab can face up to 20 year imprisonment if convicted in conspiracy to Launder Money.

Henry Bell (one of Saab’s lawyers) told Reuters last Wednesday that his client would plead no guilty to an arraignment scheduled for Monday. However, it was postponed to November 15. Bell did not comment on Monday’s verdict.

Venezuela’s opposition has said it hopes Saab will tell U.S. law enforcement agencies what he knows https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/high-profile-case-against-maduro-ally-saab-miami-2021-11-01 about any criminal activity by top Venezuelan officials, as well as the government’s schemes for evading U.S. sanctions, which were aimed at ousting Maduro.

Washington called Maduro a corrupt dictator, and blamed him in the economic decline of once wealthy OPEC nations.

Venezuelan authorities claimed that Saab was Venezuelan citizen and has been designated a diplomat for Iran to help negotiate fuel and humanitarian aid shipments.

Maduro’s government suspended last month negotiations with the opposition as a response to extradition.

Maduro and his allies see Washington’s pursuit Saab as part a “economic war” being waged on Venezuela by the U.S government.

Maduro’s U.S.-backed opposition has asked for a resumption of talks. It claims that Saab is now wealthy because of deals he has made with Venezuelan officials and has done nothing to ease the suffering of Venezuelan citizens.