Maduro and Wife Seek Dismissal of US Drug Charges, Citing Presidential Immunity
Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have asked a New York court to dismiss federal drug trafficking charges, arguing immunity as head of state.
Maduro Files for Immunity in US Federal Drug Case
Venezuela's detained leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores filed a motion late Wednesday asking a US federal judge to dismiss drug trafficking charges against them, invoking their status as president and first lady of a sovereign nation, the Jamaica Observer reports.
The couple have been held in a Brooklyn jail since January 3, when US forces seized them in Caracas in an operation that removed Maduro from power. Both have pleaded not guilty to federal drug trafficking and firearms charges.
A hearing on the dismissal arguments is scheduled in New York for November 7. Their trial, if it proceeds, is set for June 2027.
"No American court has ever presided over the criminal trial of a foreign leader who was recognised by their own country as the sitting head of state at the time the charges were brought," a court filing by Maduro's lawyer states.
The filing adds that the principle of sovereign immunity — described as "a rule older than the common law" — shields sitting heads of state from criminal proceedings in foreign national courts.
Maduro faces four counts: conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, cocaine importation conspiracy, and two firearms-related charges involving machine guns and destructive devices. Flores faces three of the same counts, excluding the narco-terrorism charge.
US prosecutors allege that Maduro used state power to protect and facilitate large-scale cocaine shipments into the United States, and that he allied his government with drug cartels. Both defendants deny the charges.
In a social media post on Sunday, Maduro said he was "standing firm," attaching two photographs taken inside jail showing him in a grey tracksuit and making peace signs. He has also told a US court he was "kidnapped" and called himself a "prisoner of war."
Since his capture, Vice President Delcy Rodríguez has governed Venezuela as interim leader under sustained pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration.
This week, US energy companies signed a series of multi-billion-dollar deals with Venezuela, days after the South American country agreed to grant Washington control over a significant portion of its oil reserves.
Critics in both countries accuse Trump of effectively holding Venezuela for ransom following Maduro's removal, and warn that Rodríguez could face a similar fate if she does not comply with US demands.
Source: Jamaica Observer