Wife of dictator Nicolás Maduro, lawyer Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, aged 69, is one of the most influential figures in Chavismo. Arrested with him in the American action on Saturday (3), she will face American courts on drug trafficking charges, among other charges.
Call from “first combatant” by Maduro — who considered the position of first lady an “elitist” term —, Cilia was accused by opponents of having employed more than 40 relatives when occupying the presidency of the National Assembly (being the first woman to preside over the House). As her maiden name is Flores, the scheme became known as the “Cilia’s garden”.
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At the time, she made it clear that she was not concerned about denying nepotism. “I’m proud that they are my family” and “I would defend their work whenever necessary”, she declared. Some relatives were fired after leaving office in 2012, but ended up being reassigned to other positions within the regime. The influence exerted behind the scenes earned her nicknames such as “Lady Macbeth” or “Scarlet Witch”, according to the newspaper The World.
Childhood and training
Cilia was born on October 15, 1956, in Tinaquillo, in the state of Cojedes. She grew up in a lower middle class family, being the youngest of six siblings. Her father was a peddler and the family moved to Caracas in search of better opportunities when she was still a child.
Her first job was as a clerk at a police station. He graduated in Law from the Santa María University, in Caracas, with a specialization in Criminal and Labor Law. She is a practicing Catholic. Before Maduro, Cilia was married to Walter Rodríguez, a police detective with whom she had three children.
Cilia met Maduro during the process that, in 1994, freed Hugo Chávez from prison after the 1992 coup attempt. While having a relationship with Maduro, “Cilita”, as he is affectionately called, built her own political career: she founded the Fifth Republic Movement in 1997 and was elected to the National Assembly in 2000.
Construction of Power
In 2006, she became the first woman elected president of the National Assembly, succeeding Maduro himself, who would take over Chávez’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two would only formally marry in 2013, almost 20 years after they met.
Cilia exercised her position by positioning relatives and allies in strategic posts, politicizing the judicial system and increasing her influence. Maduro and Cilia did not have children together. The dictator’s son from a previous relationship, Nicolás Maduro Guerra — “Nicolasito” — held high positions in the regime.
Cilia even employed her former police officer husband, who presided over the Fundação Negra Hipólita, an institute created in 2006 by Chávez to help people in vulnerable situations.
The “Narcosobrinhos”
His family members also made headlines in the case known as “Narcosobrinos”. Nephews Efraín Antonio Campo Flores and Francisco Flores de Freitas were arrested in November 2015, in Haiti, when trying to transport hundreds of kilos of cocaine destined for the USA. They were convicted in 2016 of drug trafficking. Ally Diosdado Cabello classified the action as a “kidnapping” carried out by the DEA (American drug department).
Judiciary dominated
Cilia was also accused of controlling higher courts alongside former magistrate Christian Zerpa. There are reports of the construction of a judicial extortion network that would have enriched a group of women linked to the regime.
His family is associated with illicit enrichment, boasting luxury homes in Caracas, private jet travel and a lavish lifestyle amid the country’s severe economic crisis. In 2014, his children were implicated in loan schemes by the state oil company PDVSA, as reported by Reuters.
“Don’t mess with Cilia”
Cilia Flores was sanctioned by Canada and Panama in 2018, on accusations of “undermining democracy” and money laundering. It was also sanctioned by the US and banned from entering Colombia in 2019. Maduro has always defended it. “Don’t mess with Cilia… don’t mess with the family” became a famous catchphrase.
Furthermore, during her term in the Assembly, Cilia was criticized for violating freedom of expression by barring journalists from entering the session room.
