Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is expected to appear before a federal court in New York on Wednesday for another hearing in the criminal case brought against him by United States authorities following his dramatic capture earlier this year.
The hearing, before a federal judge in New York, marks Maduro’s third public court appearance since he and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken into U.S. custody after a January military operation that ended his rule in Venezuela.
Maduro, 63, and Flores have remained in detention at a federal facility in Brooklyn while awaiting trial on multiple criminal charges. U.S. prosecutors accuse the former Venezuelan leader of conspiracy to engage in narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
Maduro has denied all the charges and pleaded not guilty, insisting the case is politically motivated.
According to court proceedings, Wednesday’s hearing is expected to focus on procedural matters as both the prosecution and defence prepare for the substantive trial.
In April, U.S. authorities reversed an earlier decision and allowed the Venezuelan government to finance the legal defence of Maduro and his wife despite sanctions that had previously blocked such payments. The couple had argued that preventing them from paying lawyers of their choice violated their constitutional rights and sought to have the case dismissed, but the court rejected the request.
Maduro has consistently described himself as a “prisoner of war,” maintaining that the prosecution is part of a political campaign against him rather than a legitimate criminal case.
The former Venezuelan leader was captured during a U.S. military operation on January 3 involving air, naval and ground forces that reportedly removed him from his residence in Caracas, ending more than a decade in power after he assumed the presidency in 2013.
Following his removal, former Vice President Delcy RodrÃguez took over the leadership of Venezuela, while the United States assumed effective control over the country’s oil exports, with revenues reportedly placed under U.S.-supervised accounts.
The prosecution of Maduro has become one of the most consequential international criminal cases pursued by the United States against a former sitting head of state, drawing global attention over its legal, political and diplomatic implications.