The petition seeks to move the hearing from March 17 to March 26.
MIAMI, United States. – The Prosecutor’s Office of the Southern District of New York asked the Manhattan Federal Court to postpone the next hearing of the criminal proceedings against Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arguing that it needs to complete logistical procedures and complete the exchange of evidence with the defenses.
The petition seeks to move the hearing from March 17 to March 26, with the consent of the lawyers of both defendants, according to an EFE office.
According to the news agency, the postponement was raised for “logistical reasons” and the need to complete the “exchange of evidence” between the parties before the next appearance before Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, in the Southern District of New York.
In that hearing, the court must address the calendar of the case and procedural issues linked to the production and review of evidentiary material, as reported. Univision when referring to the request filed before the Manhattan court.
The appearance was originally set for March 17 during the initial hearing held on January 5. In that session, the parties discussed a preliminary schedule and mentioned that date as a time when everyone would be available, with the expectation of moving forward with the exchange of materials under the discovery rules.
The charges against Maduro are four: narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
The accusation, according to Reutersmaintains that Maduro and other Venezuelan leaders “abused their positions of public trust” and corrupted institutions to “import tons of cocaine” into the United States. It also alleges that they provided “police cover and logistical support” to drug trafficking groups such as the Sinaloa Cartel and the Tren de Aragua gang, with benefits that, according to the Department of Justice, reached senior officials.
