Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have requested a judge to dismiss the drug trafficking indictment against them, claiming immunity as the leader and first lady of a foreign country. This motion was filed on Wednesday in Manhattan federal court.
Legal Arguments
Lawyers representing Maduro argued that the indictment should be rejected by law, as it cannot be brought against a foreign leader. They stated:
“"No American court has ever presided over the criminal trial of a foreign leader who was recognized by their own country as the sitting head of state at the time the charges were brought."
They emphasized that this principle reflects a longstanding rule that heads of state are exempt from the criminal processes of any national court except their own.
Upcoming Trial
Maduro and Flores are scheduled to go on trial on drug trafficking charges on June 1. Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein has set oral arguments for November 17 regarding the motions to dismiss the indictment. Both Maduro, aged 63, and Flores, aged 69, have been held at a Brooklyn jail since U.S. forces captured them from their Caracas home during a raid in early January and transported them to New York.
