As the 63-year-old leader from Venezuela reached the US, in a room full of media and judges, he said that he had been “kidnapped”. In the 40-minute-long dramatic arrangement on Monday afternoon, Maduro and his wife Cilia pleaded not guilty to the largest crime against drug and weapon smuggling.
Both Maduro and his wife have been taken to the New York jail after being arrested at their house in Venezuela, after the US surprised the world by attacking the South American country overnight. The two, wearing headphones for Spanish translations of the proceedings, sat calmly in the courtroom even when a person shouted that he had to pay for his crimes.
Maduro replied to the man, saying he was a “President and Prisoner war”, after which the authorities took the man out of the courtroom. Several people present in the courtroom were emotional. A reporter from Venezuela, Maibort Petit, said that her house in Caracas was damaged during the US operations in the country.
Flores did not speak much in the courtroom, as she sat with bandages near her eyes, which her lawyers confirmed were due to injuries she had sustained during the attack. Maduro and his wife have not sought bail from the court, but can do so at a later date. Until then, they will remain in the US custody.
The United States has accused the Venezuelan President of narco-terrorism, possession of machine guns, cocaine importation conspiracy, and destructive devices. The president has been indicted alongside his son, Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra and his wife, Cilia Flores. The next hearing of Maduro’s case is scheduled on 17th March.
After the operations in Venezuela, the United States President announced that the country will be “run” by the US, until the next regime is established.
