The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, refuted, this Monday (5), the accusations of involvement in narco-terrorism, international drug trafficking and the use of heavy weapons. During his custody hearing, at the Federal Court of the Southern District of Manhattan, in New York, Maduro said he was innocent, describing himself as a “prisoner of war” and a “decent man”.
“I’m innocent. I’m not guilty. I’m a decent man,” Maduro told judge Alvin Hellerstein, who led the hearing that lasted just over half an hour, held this afternoon. “I’m still president of my country,” added the Venezuelan after claiming that he was kidnapped by the US military.
During the hearing, Maduro and his wife, Venezuelan first lady Cíilia Flores, were officially notified of the accusations made by US authorities. They accuse members of the Venezuelan government, such as the Minister of the Interior, Diosdado Cabello, of using their positions to favor the “transportation of thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States”, benefiting from the “corruption fueled” by drug trafficking.
Maduro and members of his team deny the accusations. According to Maduro, the real objective of the United States, a country presided over by Donald Trump, is to seize Venezuela’s strategic mineral resources. Venezuela is, today, the owner of the largest oil reserves in the world, in addition to holding a large amount of gas and gold. Experts also question the lack of evidence regarding the involvement of Venezuelan leaders in drug trafficking, highlighting that the country is not a cocaine producer.
The Venezuelan president and his wife were detained after the custody hearing. The two have been in the Metropolitan Detention Center, in Manhattan, since the Chavista leader was deposed and kidnapped through a military operation that the US government carried out in Venezuelan territory, last Saturday (3), without the authorization of the US Congress or the Security Council of the United Nations (UN).
The temporary detention center is about 8 kilometers away from the federal court, where Maduro and Cilia arrived under tight security. In addition to onlookers and journalists, two groups gathered outside the detention center from the early hours of the morning: one in favor of maintaining the Venezuelan president’s prison; another who asked for his release.
Defense
As recommended by the US Court itself, Maduro and Cilia were accompanied, during the hearing, by a local lawyer, David Wikstrom. According to the newspaper New York TimesMaduro will also be defended by lawyer Barry Pollack.
Wikstrom is a well-known criminal lawyer who has worked on cases that attracted media attention, such as the case that resulted in the conviction of former president of Honduras Juan Orlando Hernández, on charges similar to those made against Maduro (narcoterrorism, international drug trafficking and use of heavy weapons). Pollack became known worldwide when he took on the defense of the founder of website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, in US courts.
After the end of the custody hearing, the defense revealed that, at the moment, it does not intend to request the release of Maduro and Cilia on bail, but that it also does not rule out doing so later. Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein set a second hearing for March 17.
*With information from RTP
