The Venezuelan president hires one of Julian Assange’s lawyers for his defense
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has pleaded not guilty at his first hearing before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York after being captured by U.S. forces in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, on charges related to drug trafficking.
“I am innocent. I am not guilty of anything that has been mentioned here,” declared the Venezuelan head of state, adding that he is a “decent man,” as well as the president of his country. “I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela,” he stated during his turn to speak in court, according to the American television network CNN.
Maduro’s wife, First Lady Cilia Flores, also pleaded “not guilty, completely innocent.” Both, dressed in dark prison uniforms, sat one seat apart.
Their respective legal teams indicated that they would not request bail “at this time.” Maduro’s lawyer informed the judge that he has “some health problems that will require attention,” while Flores’s lawyer stated that she suffered “significant injuries during her abduction.”
This hearing, which lasted less than an hour, was presided over by 92-year-old Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who was confirmed to the position in 1998 during Bill Clinton’s presidency. The next hearing will be on Saturday, March 17, at 11:00 a.m. (local time, 5:00 p.m. Spanish time).
The Venezuelan president has hired renowned criminal defense lawyer Barry Pollack, who represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange for several years and recently secured his release, as his defense attorney in the New York criminal proceedings.
For her part, lawyer Mark Donnelly, specializing in economic crimes and a former prosecutor for the Department of Justice, will represent Flores during these judicial proceedings. The Venezuelan president is accused of narco-terrorism conspiracy charges, according to the indictment, which cites Title 21, Section 960a of the United States Code. The indictment also includes a charge of “manufacturing, distributing, or dispensing a controlled substance.” Specifically, it refers to the possession of five kilograms of a substance containing a detectable amount of cocaine.
He is also accused of conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns or destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns or destructive devices.
