[Source: Reuters]

Venezuela’s government is freeing at least 20 opposition-linked prisoners and 10 Americans in exchange for the U.S. release of an ally of President Nicolas Maduro, two U.S. officials and Venezuelan sources said on Wednesday.

The Maduro ally is Colombian businessman Alex Saab, who was granted clemency by U.S. President Joe Biden and returned to Venezuela on Wednesday.

U.S. prosecutors had accused Saab of siphoning off some $350 million from Venezuela via the United States in a scheme that involved bribing Venezuelan government officials. He denies the charge.

As part of the deal, all six Americans classified by the U.S. as wrongfully detained in Venezuela were released and are on their way home, along with four other Americans, according to the U.S. officials, who declined to be named.

Venezuela also returned to the United States the fugitive Malaysian businessman Leonard Glenn Francis, known as “Fat Leonard,” who is implicated in a U.S. Navy bribery case, the officials said.

The deal, the result of months of negotiations mediated by Qatar between OPEC member Venezuela and the United States, came after the White House said it would need to see progress on prisoner releases in order to continue with energy sanctions relief for Caracas.

Sanctions relief was unveiled in October in response to an agreement by the Venezuelan government to hold fair elections in 2024.

Although the releases could be seen as a step by Maduro to comply with U.S. demands, the return of Saab marks a victory for Maduro. Saab had not yet been convicted and his return to Venezuela was previously seen as unlikely.

Washington had given the Venezuelan government until Nov. 30 to make progress on removing public office bans on opposition candidates and start releasing political prisoners and “wrongfully detained” Americans in order to avoid a reinstatement of sanctions.

Venezuela is allowing opposition candidates to appeal their bans, but it had not made much progress on prisoner releases before this week.

Biden told reporters traveling with him in Milwaukee that he had not yet spoken with Maduro but that “we’ve laid down specific requirements for a democratic election. He’s agreed to all of them.”

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