Maduro claims immunity in US court, seeks dismissal of drug trafficking charges

Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has invoked head-of-state immunity in a US court, calling for charges against him to be dropped.

Maduro invokes immunity before US court in bid to drop drug charges

Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has formally asserted head-of-state immunity before a United States court, urging judges to dismiss the criminal charges filed against him, Google News IE — Crime (en) reports, citing Al Jazeera.

Maduro's legal team argued that, as a sitting head of government, he is shielded from prosecution in foreign jurisdictions and that the charges should therefore be thrown out.

The US Department of Justice indicted Maduro in 2020 on narco-terrorism charges, alleging he played a central role in a conspiracy to flood the United States with cocaine. Maduro has consistently denied the allegations, describing them as a politically motivated attempt by Washington to destabilise his government.

The immunity claim represents a significant procedural move that, if accepted, could halt the case before it reaches trial. US prosecutors have not yet publicly responded to the motion.

Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)