Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was defiant during his appearance in a Manhattan courtroom on Monday, saying that he still considers himself the leader of the nation and that the United States “kidnapped” him and his wife.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized from their home in Caracas over the weekend and are among six defendants named in a four-count U.S. Department of Justice indictment. They are accused of trafficking drugs, including “transporting thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States,” as well as conspiring with drug traffickers to benefit his and his family’s coffers.
Both Maduro and Flores were donned in navy blue V-neck shirts with orange tees underneath, tan pants, and headsets that provides Spanish translations of the proceedings.
Military.com’s Darius Radzius was in the room, reporting that Flores had a bandage on her face and noticeable bruising purportedly resulting from their capture two days earlier. Both requested medical assistance.
When Maduro walked in, he looked from one side of the room to the other and wished all gathered media members in the gallery and jury box “happy new year.”
When the charges of the indictment were read by Manhattan Federal Court Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is presiding over the case, Maduro confirmed his identity and indicated that he is still “president” of Venezuela—adding that he was “kidnapped” from his home by foreign authorities. Hellerstein cut Maduro off, telling him there will be time at a later date to challenge the accusations.
“I’m the president of Venezuela. I am innocent. In the name of God I will be free.”
Both Maduro and Flores pleaded not guilty to the charges, with the latter saying she’s “not guilty, completely innocent.”
At the end of the proceedings, a voice from an unidentified audience member shouted, “You will pay for what you have done.” Maduro audibly replied, saying, “I’m the president of Venezuela. I am innocent. In the name of God I will be free.” The exchange was conducted in Spanish and given a loose translation.
Attorneys did not speak to the press post-arraignment and left the scene.
Countless media outlets and protesters both for and against Maduro were present outside the courtroom in the hours leading up to the proceedings. The number of people outside the locked doors grew as the day went on.
Police on scene were adequately separating individuals from opposing sides, preventing any large scuffles from breaking out.
The 25-page indictment of Maduro and Flores alleges that the couple “partnered with narcotics traffickers and narco-terrorist groups, who dispatched processed cocaine from Venezuela to the United States via transshipment points in the Caribbean and Central America, such as Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico.”
The next court hearing is scheduled for March 17.
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