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Nicolás Maduro told a New York court he was “innocent” and “a decent man” as he and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty to US charges after being captured in Caracas on Saturday.
The pair appeared in a packed Manhattan courthouse on Monday, wearing orange prison shirts under dark V-neck tops for their first court appearance since their dramatic removal from Venezuela in a US raid.
Asked to confirm his name, Maduro told the court: “I’m the president of the Republic of Venezuela and I’m here, kidnapped, since January 3. I was captured at my home in Caracas, Venezuela.”
Judge Alvin Hellerstein interrupted Maduro, telling him: “There will be a time and place to go into all of this . . . your counsel will be able to make motions addressing the legal sufficiency of what was done”, and saying that for now he wanted only to confirm Maduro’s identity.
The arraignment hearing was a brief, procedural matter to begin the case. “I’m innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country,” Maduro said.
Dozens of protesters gathered in freezing temperatures outside the courthouse, with some holding signs that read “USA hands off Venezuela” and calling for Maduro and Flores to be freed, and others bearing pro-Trump banners, such as one that said “Support President Trump, arrest dictator Maduro”.
Prosecutors say Maduro ran an organisation that dispatched thousands of tonnes of cocaine to the US and enabled corruption that enriched his family and regime. Maduro was charged with narco-terrorism conspiracy, and he and Flores were charged with cocaine importation conspiracy and two counts relating to the possession of machine guns.
Maduro wrote notes extensively during the hearing, during which he and his wife spoke through an interpreter. He said he had not read the full indictment against him since he had only just received a copy but would do so.
Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, said his client was the “head of a sovereign state” and there were “privileges and immunities that go with that office” as well as “issues about the legality of his military abduction”.
Flores confirmed her name and said she was “the first lady of the Republic of Venezuela”. Asked to enter a plea, she said she was “not guilty, completely innocent”. Her lawyer said she had “sustained significant injuries” during her capture.
Both defendants said they were not seeking bail at the hearing, though they could choose to do so later. The next hearing has been set for March 17.