Mexico City, Mexico – A U.S. court today set a June 1, 2027 trial date for former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Celia Flores.
The pair appeared in court for their third pretrial hearing since their capture by U.S. forces earlier this year.
Nicolás Maduro is charged with narcoterrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine and other weapons-related charges, potentially sending him to prison for life.
The ousted president was arrested along with his wife in Venezuela on January 3 this year and then formally charged in an operation the U.S. government called “surgical law enforcement.”
At his first pre-trial hearing, Maduro claimed he was a prisoner of war and “still the president of Venezuela.”
Under the schedule approved today, Maduro’s lawyers have until September 2 to file their first motion to dismiss the case, before the trial begins. The submission is expected to focus on Maduro’s claim to sovereign immunity as a former head of state.
But Venezuelan human rights lawyer Roxanne del Carmen Cabrera said: Latin America Report The claim of immunity is “highly questionable considering all the evidence suggesting that the last election was fraudulent.” She added that the United States itself has never acknowledged the results.
Nonetheless, a hearing on the matter has been set for November 17, when the issue of Maduro’s potential immunity will be discussed.
Immunity issues are not limited to Maduro. After his arrest, the country was left in the hands of Acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who has been very cooperative with the Trump administration. He is currently protecting the Trump administration from the U.S. courts on the same legal grounds as the Trump administration.
A few days ago, the U.S. administration intervened in a civil lawsuit in a Florida court seeking to secure immunity for Rodriguez, who is accused of torturing three U.S. citizens in Venezuela. The government argued that Rodriguez should be shielded from the incident under head-of-state immunity provisions.
In a previous court appearance, Maduro’s lawyers asked that the charges against him be dismissed because the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) did not approve the use of Venezuelan government funds to pay for his defense costs. However, OFAC approved the use of these funds in April.
El País reports that Maduro looked noticeably thinner but maintained a cheerful demeanor during his court appearance today. But his wife seemed more serious.
Featured image description: The poster of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores reads: “#FreeCilia #FreeMaduro.
Featured image credit: @NicolasMaduro via X.
