Nicolás Maduro appears again in New York court on ‘narco-terrorism’ charges | Nicolás Maduro
Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appeared in Manhattan federal court again Thursday on a “narcoterrorism” case after he was captured by U.S. military forces earlier this year.
The trial began with an argument between the defense and prosecution over whether Maduro should be allowed to use Venezuelan government funds to pay for his defense. The defense insisted the United States violated the ousted leader’s constitutional rights by preventing government money from being used for his legal expenses.
US special forces captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a controversial pre-dawn raid during the January 3 attack on Caracas. killed 100 people people.
The indictments allege that Maduro led “a corrupt, illegitimate government that has used government power for decades to protect and promote illegal activities, including drug trafficking.”
Their capture followed months of U.S. pressure on Maduro, which included attacks on so-called “narco bots.” These boat attacks resulted in more than 100 deaths, and some legal experts have challenged not only the legality of these attacks but also whether they amounted to war crimes.
Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty at their hearing on January 5.
Maduro’s politician son, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, tried to approach his father’s difficult situation with courage this week.
“He’s really good, [he’s] strong – he is really good. “Their morale is really high.” he told state media On Monday, he claimed that the former president is in “athletic” shape because he works out every day.
Before the hearing, a group of demonstrators gathered in front of the courthouse to demonstrate for and against Maduro. On a raucous stage, protesters and supporters chanted slogans, honked horns and banged drums and rattles. A member of the anti-Maduro contingent waved a banner that read: “Maduro is rotting in prison.” On the other side of the metal barrier, people held signs that read “Free President Maduro.”
Several hundred people, including ruling party supporters, government workers and civilian militia members, gathered in a public square in Caracas on Thursday morning. One of the attendees, retiree Eduardo Cubillan, said he was there to pray for Maduro and Flores and to condemn the violation of Venezuela’s sovereignty during the Jan. 3 operation.
Experts say conditions in the New York detention center where Maduro is being held are very poor. Meanwhile, in Venezuela, Maduro’s political legacy is rapidly being erased by his successor, former vice president Delcy Rodríguez, despite the existence of government propaganda boards calling for the couple’s return.
In less than three months as acting president, Rodríguez has dismissed nearly half of Maduro’s cabinet ministers, purging key allies of 11 years including defense minister Vladimir Padrino López, attorney general Tarek William Saab and industry minister Alex Saab.
Speaking at a Saudi-backed business summit in Miami on Wednesday, Rodríguez made no mention of his jailed predecessor and claimed his oil-rich country was braced for a “tremendous economic crisis.” [economic] take off under his leadership.”
“In the short time since I became acting president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, we have hosted more than 120 energy companies, primarily from the United States, but also from the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe,” Rodríguez told foreign investors.
After ordering Maduro’s kidnapping, Donald Trump warned Rodríguez that he could face an even more dramatic fate if he did not toe the US line. Since then, the US embassy in Caracas has reopened for the first time since 2019 and top officials, including the energy minister and the head of the CIA, have visited.
Maduro’s court appearance comes just weeks after U.S. officials pushed for the dismissal of the fallen president’s case, claiming it violated his “constitutional right to counsel of his own choosing.” They alleged that authorities unlawfully prohibited the Venezuelan government from paying defense costs.
The US treasury department’s office of foreign asset control (Ofac) on January 9 granted Maduro immunity from accepting money for legal fees from the sanctioned Venezuelan government. But just three hours later, Ofac “reversed”, Maduro’s lawyers said.
“As a result, Mr. Maduro, who does not have sufficient funds to retain an attorney, is constitutionally deprived of an attorney of his choice,” Maduro’s lawyers said in court documents filed Feb. 26.
“If Ofac’s interference with Mr. Maduro’s ability to fund his defense continues, the undersigned attorney cannot remain on the case and Mr. Maduro cannot be represented by any other retained counsel,” his attorneys wrote. “Despite the Venezuelan government’s willingness and obligation to pay the costs of Mr. Maduro’s defense, not only would the Court be required to appoint counsel and impose the costs of Mr. Maduro’s defense on U.S. taxpayers, but any ruling against Mr. Maduro would be constitutionally questionable.”
Ofac argues in March 13 court papers that this was never meant to green light Venezuela’s funding of Maduro’s defense, saying: “It was an administrative error to include in these licenses the authority to use funds paid by the Government of Venezuela.”
Manhattan federal prosecutors oppose removing Maduro from office.
In a March 13 filing, they argued that although Ofac typically allows a defendant like Maduro to use its own money for legal fees, it would be “highly unusual” for a sanctioned government to receive such a waiver.
At a cabinet meeting on Thursday, Trump accused Maduro of being “a major drug supplier coming into our country.” Trump did not elaborate but suggested the current charges Maduro faces may be “a very small fraction of the kinds of things he’s done.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report
