New York, July 22 (dpa/GNA) – The trial of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s long-serving leader who was captured by US special forces, is set to begin in New York on June 1, 2027, his lawyer Barry Pollack told dpa on Wednesday, with several US media also reporting the court’s decision.
Prosecutors had filed a motion earlier Thursday, calling for the trial to begin in June. Maduro led Venezuela for years as the head of a socialist government. Earlier this year, he and his wife were seized by US special forces in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, in an operation that critics condemned as a violation of international law.
The US has charged Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, with offences including “narco-terrorism.” The 63-year-old is alleged to have used his position as president and previous government posts over many years, to facilitate the smuggling of thousands of tonnes of cocaine into the US. The indictment also alleges that he sold diplomatic passports to drug traffickers, facilitated drug money flights under diplomatic cover, and protected drug shipments, forming alliances with drug traffickers and personally profiting from the arrangement.
Maduro and Flores have denied the charges, accusing the United States of having kidnapped them. Both have been held in pre-trial detention in the Brooklyn borough of New York since their arrest.
Venezuela is now led by former vice-president Delcy RodrĂguez as acting president, who is cooperating with Washington on issues including oil.
The administration of US President Donald Trump is seeking to exploit the country’s vast oil reserves for US benefit, and now exercises considerable influence over Venezuela’s oil industry and politics. Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves.
The US and numerous other countries had ceased to recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state at least since the disputed presidential election of July 2024.
Months before the US military operation in Caracas, US forces had already carried out multiple strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, allegedly carrying drug shipments.
GNA