Nicolas Maduro: Toppled Venezuelan President pleads not guilty to narco-terrorism charges in US court
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denied charges of narco-terrorism after US President Donald Trump ordered his capture in events that shook world leaders and left authorities in Caracas scrambling to respond.
Maduro, 63, pleaded not guilty in New York federal court to four charges, including narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine and possession of machine guns and destructive devices.
“I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am an honest man. I am still the President of my country,” Maduro said through a translator before being interrupted by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein.
Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, also did not admit her guilt.
The next hearing date was set for March 17.
Dozens of protesters, both pro-Maduro and anti-Maduro, gathered in front of the courthouse before the half-hour hearing.
Maduro is accused of running a cocaine trafficking network that partnered with violent groups including Mexico’s Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombia’s FARC rebels and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang.
Maduro has long denied the allegations, saying they are a mask for imperialist plans against Venezuela’s rich oil reserves.
As world leaders and U.S. politicians grapple with the extraordinary takeover of a head of state, an emergency order in Venezuela issued in full on Monday ordered police to search for and capture anyone who supported Saturday’s U.S. attack.
Also on Monday (local time), the United Nations Security Council discussed the consequences of the crackdown, which was condemned by Russia, China and other allies of Venezuela.
UN Chief Antonio Guterres expressed concerns about instability in Venezuela and the legality of the attack, which is the most dramatic US intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama.
U.S. Special Forces stormed into Caracas by helicopter on Saturday, shattering Maduro’s security cordon and dragging him across the threshold of the safe room.
On Monday morning, zip-tied Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were escorted by armed guards in tactical gear to a helicopter from a Brooklyn detention center to Manhattan federal court.
The judge started the hearing at 12.02 by summarizing the accusations in the indictment.
Maduro, wearing an orange and beige prison outfit, listened through headphones through an interpreter.
Mr. Hellerstein asked Maduro to stand up and confirm his identity.
He answered in Spanish.
The judge told the couple that they had the right to report their arrest to the Venezuelan consulate.
Prosecutors say Maduro was involved in drug trafficking from the time he began serving in Venezuela’s National Assembly in 2000 until his time as foreign minister and then his election as successor to the late president Hugo Chavez in 2013.
Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, said that his client expects a very comprehensive and complex case to be filed regarding the “military kidnapping” incident.
He said he did not demand Maduro’s release but could do so later.
Flores’ attorney, Mark Donnelly, said she suffered significant injuries, including severe bruising to her ribs, and ordered X-rays and a physical evaluation.
Federal prosecutors in New York first charged him in 2020 as part of a long-running drug trafficking case against current and former Venezuelan officials and Colombian guerrillas.
The updated indictment, which was made public on Saturday, added some new details and defendants, including Cilia Flores.
The United States has viewed Maduro as an illegitimate dictator since he declared victory in a 2018 election marred by allegations of massive irregularities.
International law experts questioned the legality of the crackdown, while some condemned Trump’s actions as a rejection of the rules-based international order.
In Caracas, top officials in Maduro’s 13-year-old government remain in charge of the South American country of 30 million, first defiant and then turning to possible cooperation with the United States.
After initially denouncing Maduro’s capture as a colonial oil grab and “kidnapping,” Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, changed his tone on Sunday, saying respectful relations with the U.S. government were a priority.
“We urge the U.S. government to work together on a cooperation agenda,” Ms. Rodriguez said.
“President Donald Trump, our people and our region deserve peace and dialogue, not war.”
The daughter of a leftist guerrilla, Rodriguez, 56, was an ardent member of the ruling “Chavista” movement, named after the late leader Hugo Chavez, and earned Maduro’s praise as a “tiger”.
But he is also known as a pragmatist who is well connected to the private sector and believes in economic orthodoxy.
with AP
