Maduro in US court for second time after capture

Venezuela and USA

Maduro in US court for second time after capture

The US military captured then-head of state Maduro in the middle of Venezuela’s capital Caracas and flew him to the USA. Critics say wrongly. Now there is a second court date.

Almost three months after his capture by US special forces, deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is expected in court for the second time on Thursday (4 p.m. CET). During his first hearing in January, the 63-year-old declared himself “not guilty” in federal court in New York of the charges brought by the United States and in return accused the United States of kidnapping him. The appointment on Thursday is also part of the preliminary proceedings before an actual possible trial.

The US has indicted Maduro on charges of “drug terrorism,” among other things. He is said to have used his office to enable the smuggling of thousands of tons of cocaine into the USA. To achieve this, Maduro is said to have joined forces with drug traffickers and derived personal benefits from this. His wife Cilia Flores is co-defendant. She also said at her first court appearance that she was innocent.

Maduro had led his country in an authoritarian manner for years at the head of a socialist government. On the night of January 3, US special forces captured him and his wife in the Venezuelan capital Caracas and brought them both to the USA. Since then, the couple has been in a prison in the New York borough of Brooklyn.

The hearing today is likely to be primarily about formalities. For example, there is the question of who will pay the legal fees for Maduro and his wife. If the Venezuelan government is to take over this, Maduro’s lawyer Barry Pollack would first need the appropriate license. Pollock had already argued in advance that this violated his client’s rights and called for the charges to be dropped. The 92-year-old judge Alvin Hellerstein presided over the proceedings.

Critics view the US military operation in Venezuela as a violation of international law. A central question is also whether the USA violated Maduro’s immunity as head of state – and whether he should not have been taken out of the country and charged.

According to the US government, however, Maduro was no longer the legitimate president of the South American country. According to the Venezuelan opposition and international observers, he lost the presidential election in July 2024. The pro-government electoral office nevertheless declared him the winner and he was sworn in for another term.