New York, US, July 22 (EFE).- The third hearing in the case against ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, concluded Wednesday in a New York federal court after just 18 minutes, during which the judge tentatively set June 2027 as the trial start date and identified immunity as one of the defense’s main arguments.
Maduro, 63, appeared before 91-year-old federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein alongside Flores, 69, at a follow-up hearing in the case involving charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.
During the 18-minute hearing, he repeatedly adjusted his headphones and followed the proceedings alongside his attorneys.
Maduro waved before entering the courtroom and followed the proceedings alongside his attorneys. At the end of the session, he spoke with his defense team before leaving the courtroom.
Before the hearing, the prosecution and the defense jointly filed a brief proposing to the judge a schedule with two rounds of pretrial motions and setting the start of the trial for June 2027, which the judge accepted.
The defense plans to file an initial set of motions before the submission of evidence is complete, including a motion arguing Maduro has immunity as the head of state of Venezuela at the time of his arrest.
According to Barry Pollack, one of Maduro’s attorneys, if that motion is accepted, Maduro would not have to participate in the second round of motions, which will include additional evidence.
The prosecution plans to complete the submission of most of the unclassified evidence by September 22 and the classified evidence by November 15.
Maduro and Flores have been detained in a federal prison in Brooklyn since they were captured on January 3 in Caracas by US forces and transferred to New York.
At their first court appearance on January 5, both pleaded “not guilty” to all charges. At that time, Maduro stated in Spanish that he was a “decent man” and the “constitutional president” of Venezuela.
At their second court appearance in March, Maduro appeared with grayer hair and showed signs of a slight limp.
Maduro is accused of conspiracy to commit acts of narco-terrorism and cocaine importation, while Flores faces charges related to drug importation and weapons possession.
Both could face life imprisonment if convicted. EFE
syr-ecs/mcd
