Maduro and wife invoke immunity to block drug trafficking charges in the United States
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife are attempting to block federal drug trafficking charges in the United States, claiming diplomatic immunity.
Maduro and Cilia Flores invoke diplomatic immunity to escape drug trafficking charges
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are attempting to block federal drug trafficking charges presented in the United States, according to reporting by Euronews, citing Google News PT — Crime (pt).
The defence of the two invokes diplomatic immunity as the central argument to block the advancement of the North American judicial proceedings. Maduro and Flores face formal drug trafficking accusations presented by the United States Department of Justice.
North American authorities accuse the Venezuelan leader of using the State to facilitate large-scale cocaine trafficking, in alleged cooperation with armed groups such as the Colombian FARC.
The claim of immunity is a legal mechanism habitually invoked by heads of state or members of foreign governments to suspend or annul proceedings in external courts. The question of whether that immunity applies in this case remains open in North American courts.
Source: Google News PT — Crime (pt)