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Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expected to face more charges this week
BBC • • general
Key Points:
- Federal prosecutors plan to bring additional charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, accusing them of involvement in the torture of Americans held in Venezuelan prisons.
- Maduro and Flores were seized by US forces in Caracas on January 3 and brought to New York to face existing drug and weapons charges, which they deny.
- Additional individuals may be charged for their roles in torturing more than a dozen wrongfully detained Americans under Maduro's government.
- Flores is scheduled for a bond hearing in New York federal court, and the trial for both is set to begin in June 2027.
- Maduro's defense argues he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign leader and claims the US seizure was illegal; the court has yet to rule on these motions.
