Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro claims immunity, urges US judge to drop drug charges: ‘this court lacks jurisdiction’ | Today’s news
Nicolas Maduro, the long-time president of Venezuela who was ousted from power and captured by the United States in January of this year, has said he still enjoys sovereign immunity as head of state. Maduro, 63, who is currently in US custody, faces several charges, including drug trafficking. On Wednesday, he urged a federal judge to drop the criminal charges against him, saying he should be immune from prosecution.
What Nicolas Maduro’s legal team said
“This court lacks jurisdiction over Mr. Maduro, whom the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela recognizes as head of state,” Maduro’s legal team argued in a court filing, according to Bloomberg.
Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, claimed immunity in a motion to dismiss Maduro’s indictment. Manhattan-based U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein gave Pollack until Wednesday to file the motion, according to Reuters.
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“This unprecedented prosecution violates the absolute immunity from criminal jurisdiction enjoyed by heads of state and foreign officials acting in their official capacity for hundreds of years,” Pollack wrote, according to Reuters.
Pollack wrote that Maduro has been falsely accused and “vehemently denies” the allegations.
In January, according to Bloomberg, Maduro’s lawyer told a judge he expected to file “voluminous and complicated” court filings to have the charges dismissed or limit the evidence the government can use to prove its case. Pollack has argued from the start that Maduro is immune from prosecution.
Maduro claims that, like other national leaders, he is not prosecuted in other countries.
The US does not recognize Maduro’s presidency
Maduro, who has been held at a federal prison in Brooklyn since his seizure, has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial in June 2027 if his bid to have the case dismissed is unsuccessful.
Maduro, who succeeded Hugo Chávez as president of Venezuela in 2013, remained in that position until he was captured by the United States in a daring midnight operation in Caracas. It should be noted that while Maduro claims to still be the president of Venezuela, several countries, including the US, did not recognize his presidency after the 2018 elections.
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Although official figures showed Maduro won the election, in which prominent opposition leaders such as Leopoldo Lopez and Henrique Capriles were legally barred from running, with a popular vote of 67.8 percent, most international observers believe the results were rigged.
Accusations against Maduro
In the US, Maduro faces several charges, including:
Narco-terrorist conspiracy: Accused of partnering with groups like the FARC, ELN and the Sinaloa Cartel to use Venezuelan state power to flood the US with cocaine.
Cocaine Import Conspiracy: Charges associated with organizing shipments of hundreds of metric tons of cocaine annually.
Firearms and Machine Gun Offenses: Possession and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices in connection with narcotics trafficking.
