Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have formally entered pleas of not guilty to an expanded US indictment that includes charges of conspiracy to commit torture. Speaking through an interpreter during a federal court appearance in New York on Thursday, Maduro characterized the revised indictment as a repackaging of previous false allegations. Flores, who saw a recent request for house arrest denied, also entered a not guilty plea.
The couple currently faces accusations of involvement in the torture of American citizens and others held within Venezuelan custody in recent years, in addition to pre-existing charges related to narcotics and weapons. Their defense team has sought to have the case dismissed, asserting that the pair maintains immunity as the president and first lady of a sovereign nation. A hearing to address these dismissal arguments has been scheduled for December 17.
In a joint move, both defense counsel and prosecutors requested additional time for preliminary filings, leading the judge to postpone the trial by two weeks until June 14 of next year. Maduro and Flores are currently being held in a Brooklyn detention facility. They were captured by US forces at their Caracas residence in January and subsequently transported to New York to face the federal proceedings.
Since the capture of Maduro, his former vice president, Rodriguez, has assumed leadership in Venezuela and has moved to expand cooperation with Washington. The administration of President Trump has highlighted the capture and the resulting improved relationship with Venezuela as a significant foreign policy achievement ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, a period during which Republicans are aiming to maintain their majority in Congress.
