The third hearing of the case against Nicolas Madureither, and his wife, Cilia Floresconcluded this Wednesday in a federal court in New York after just 18 minutes, and in which the judge preliminarily established June 2027 as trial start date and with immunity as one of the main defense arguments.
Maduro, 63 years old, appeared before the federal judge Alvin Hellerstein91, along with Flores, 69, in a follow-up hearing of the process on charges of narcoterrorism and drug trafficking.
The official leader, who appeared thinner but looking good, maintained his characteristic mustache and arrived walking normally, without a trace of the limp that he had shown in previous hearings.
During the 18 minutes that the hearing lasted, he repeatedly touched his headphones and continued the session with his lawyers.
At his side, Cilia Flores also showed a healthier appearance. He arrived behind, with a ponytail, glasses and the same khaki prison jumpsuit as Maduro.
Maduro greeted before entering the room and followed the view with his lawyers. At the end of the session, he spoke with his defense before leaving the court.
Before the hearing, the Prosecutor’s Office and the defense jointly presented a brief in which they proposed to the magistrate a calendar with two rounds of pretrial motions and placed the beginning of the process in June 2027, schedule that the judge accepted today.
The defense plans to present a first set of motions before the delivery of evidence is completed, including a immunity argument for Maduro as head of state of Venezuela at the time of his arrest.
If accepted, he explained Barry Pollackone of Maduro’s lawyers, he would not have to submit to the second round of motions, in which other evidence will be included.
The Prosecutor’s Office plans to complete most of the delivery of unclassified evidence on September 22 and those classified on November 15.
Maduro and Flores remain detained in a federal prison in Brooklyn since they were captured on January 3 in Caracas by US forces and transferred to New York.
In their first appearance, on January 5, both declared “not guilty” of all charges. Then, Maduro assured in Spanish that he was a “decent man” and the “constitutional president” of Venezuela.
In his second appearance, in March, Maduro appeared with grayer hair, in addition to showing a slight limp.
ANDHe is accused of conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism and importation of cocaine, while Flores faces charges related to the importation of drugs and possession of weapons.
Both could face up to life in prison if convicted.
