New York Court sets June 2027 Rigged Mock Trial Date for Kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores appeared in a Manhattan federal court Wednesday, where Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein set a June 1, 2027 trial date at the request of lawyers for both the prosecution and the defense.

Under the now approved schedule, the defense will file requests in early September to challenge the indictment. The couple will appear again in court on November 17 for oral arguments in this motion. During the 15-minute hearing, the defense reiterated their objection to the US military operation of January in which the Venezuelan president and his wife were abducted from their Caracas residence, and which killed more than 100 people according to the Venezuelan government. Maduro appeared noticeably thinner than in his prior appearances. Neither Maduro nor Flores spoke during the hearing.

The couple first appeared in court this past January, where the two pleaded not guilty to all charges laid against them. The indictment was originally filed in March 2020 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. It charges Maduro with narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons offenses related to an alleged state-sponsored drug trafficking conspiracy at the highest levels of the Venezuelan government. Flores is only charged with cocaine importation and the weapons charges, not narco-terrorism, the charge which carries the longest sentence.

In his first appearance, Maduro reaffirmed his innocence, stating: “I am president of the Republic of Venezuela… I was captured at my home inn Caracas, Venezuela. I am a kidnapped president, prisoner of war. I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man.”[MORE]