New York.- The
President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife,
Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty on Monday to all charges they face before the Southern District of New York (SDNY) court during their first appearance.
“I am innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man,” Maduro declared when questioned in court.
The Venezuelan leader claimed not to have seen his accusation before appearing in court and to be unaware of his rights.
Shortly thereafter, Flores pleaded “not guilty, completely innocent.”
Barry Pollack, Maduro’s lawyer, stated in court that “for the moment he will not request bail” for the president, although he did not rule out doing so later.
Maduro considers himself a “prisoner of war”
At the beginning of the hearing, when asked by
federal judge Alvin Hellerstein, 92 years old, the official introduced himself in Spanish as the president of Venezuela and stated that he was “kidnapped” on U.S. soil.
«I am the president of Venezuela and I consider myself a prisoner of war. I was captured in my house in Caracas», he affirmed.
On the other hand, the lawyers
requested medical attention for both because, as they said, they have “health problems.”
You may be interested in: What charges do Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, face in New York?
Attorney Mark Donnelly stated that Flores “suffered significant injuries during his kidnapping” and suggested that he might have a fracture or serious bruising in his ribs.
Maduro and Flores appeared this Monday for the first time before the New York court after their
detention last Saturday in Caracas, in an operation carried out by US forces with the aim of transferring them to the United States to try them under US jurisdiction.
The indictment against Maduro for drug trafficking-related crimes, originally filed in 2020, was expanded to include his wife and add more charges.
The new charges accuse him of narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to use those weapons.
His wife is accused of alleged involvement in coordinating meetings and the logistics of the network.
