New York [US], January 6: Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who was captured by special forces and transported to the United States, has pleaded not guilty to drug offences in a New York court, US media reported from the courtroom on Monday.
The 63-year-old was brought for an initial hearing at midday (1700 GMT). Upon arriving in the courtroom, he shook hands with his lawyers and wore headphones for translation, the New York Times and the broadcaster Sky News reported. His wife, Cilia Flores, who is also accused, pleaded not guilty as well.
Maduro was wearing prison clothes. Speaking in Spanish, he asserted that he had been "kidnapped." Maduro says he is "not guilty" "I am not guilty," said Maduro, who stood up in court. "I am a decent person," he said, according to the interpreter. He added: "I am still the president of my country." Flores said she was "completely" innocent.
The Maduros were captured by US special forces in Venezuela in the early hours of Saturday morning and subsequently brought to a detention facility in New York.
The US justice system accuses the authoritarian leader of conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine.
From the US perspective, Maduro is said to have used his office, illegally obtained through election fraud, to enable thousands of tons of cocaine to be transported to the US. Maduro allegedly benefited personally from this and is said to have allied himself with drug dealers.
He is also charged with the unlawful possession of machine guns and explosives. Alongside Maduro's wife, his son is also co-accused.
Additionally, the charges are directed against the current and former interior ministers of Venezuela.
The next hearing has been scheduled for March 17. Judge Alvin Hellerstein said it was his job to ensure a fair trial.
Shortly before the start of the 30-minute hearing, dozens of supporters gathered on the street in front of the federal court - both of Maduro and of US President Donald Trump, who had hailed the attack on the South American country and the abduction of its president as a coup for himself.
Back in Venezuela, Maduro's son, lawmaker Nicolas Maduro Guerra, told the parliament in Caracas: "If we normalize the kidnapping of heads of state, no country will be safe anymore. Today it is Venezuela, tomorrow it could be any other country that does not submit."
Experts consider the US attack on Venezuela to be a violation of international law. The trial will also address the question of whether, as head of state, he should enjoy special immunity - and therefore should not have been taken out of the country and charged.
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday criticized the "method" used by the United States to arrest Maduro.
This is "neither supported nor approved" by France, Macron said during a Cabinet meeting in Paris, according to government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon.
The spokeswoman did not specify whether Macron was criticizing the US attack as such or only the manner in which Maduro was detained.
On Monday, Russia and China also strongly condemned the US action in a special session of the UN Security Council in New York.
Both countries demanded the release of Maduro and his wife.
Source: Qatar Tribune