Former dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were captured in Venezuela in a United States military operation on Saturday (3), pleaded not guilty to the charges they face in American justice in the first hearing of the criminal case against both, held in a federal court in New York this Monday (5).
According to information from CNN, Maduro participated in the hearing handcuffed at the ankles, but was not handcuffed at the wrists. The couple’s lawyers said they would not request release on bail at this time, so the former dictator and his wife will remain in prison.
The hearing in Federal Court Daniel Patrick Moynihan was presided over by Judge Alvin Hellerstein. Maduro and Flores followed the proceedings using headphones, listening to the translation of what was said.
At the beginning of the hearing, Hellerstein asked Maduro to confirm his identity and the former dictator responded in Spanish, saying that he is “president of Venezuela”.
The judge said that “there will be a right time and place to deal with all of this” and repeated the question. “Right now, I just want to know one thing: are you Nicolás Maduro?”, he asked. Maduro replied that this was his name.
When asked about the accusations against him, the Chavista said he was “innocent, I’m not guilty”. “I am a decent man,” said the former dictator. “I’m still president of my country. I’m innocent. I’m not guilty of anything that’s being mentioned here.”
When asked about her identity, Flores claimed to be “the first lady of Venezuela.” She then waived the formal reading of the accusation and said she was “not guilty, completely innocent”.
The former dictator was represented this Monday by American lawyer Barry Pollack, who represents Australian journalist and activist Julian Assange, founder of the WikiLeaks website.
Last year, Pollack reached an agreement with the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) that allowed Assange to leave the maximum security prison where he was held in the United Kingdom and return to Australia, ending a long legal battle over the leak of confidential documents.
Cilia Flores was represented this Monday by lawyer Mark Donnelly, former DOJ attorney. Both Maduro and his wife requested a visit to the local Venezuelan Consulate, a right that Hellerstein mentioned after the two pleaded not guilty.
Despite not having requested release on bail, Pollack stated that there must be “a substantial volume of resources” during the process, as Maduro would be a head of state and would be entitled to “privileges and immunities inherent to the position”.
The lawyer also said that Maduro has “health problems […] that will require attention.”
Donnelly claimed that Flores suffered “significant injuries” during his capture and would need a physical evaluation. The next hearing in the case was scheduled for March 17.
Maduro was charged with conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and explosive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and explosive devices.
Flores was charged with conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and explosive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and explosive devices.
People celebrating Maduro’s arrest and calling for the release of political prisoners in Venezuela were outside the New York courthouse during the hearing, with other protesters calling for the former dictator’s release.
