Maduro Claims Immunity in US Drug Trafficking Case
Maduro’s lawyers say the indictment cannot stand because sitting heads of state are immune from foreign prosecution, and trial is set for June 1, 2027.
- On Wednesday, Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro filed motions to dismiss his U.S. drug trafficking case, challenging his prosecution on grounds of sovereign immunity and the legality of his capture.
- Seeking dismissal, Maduro argues his seizure violated the U.S.-Venezuela extradition treaty, invoking the Latin doctrine "male captus, bene detentus"—"wrongfully captured, properly detained"—to contest the proceedings.
- Legal precedents, including the 1886 U.S. Supreme Court decision and former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega's unsuccessful immunity claim, demonstrate U.S. courts consistently reject dismissal requests based on capture methods.
- District Judge Alvin Hellerstein must determine if Maduro qualifies for immunity, complicated by Washington's non-recognition of him as Venezuela's president since 2019 and current leader Delcy Rodriguez's lack of support.
- Venezuelan lawyer Nizar El Fakih noted the current government faces "difficult and politically sensitive" circumstances, while former Justice Department lawyer Gary Lincenberg warns such tactics could alienate other nations despite limited impact on prosecution.
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Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was prosecuted and imprisoned in the United States for drug trafficking, asked the United States courts to reject the indictment against him, claiming his immunity as a foreign head of state.
Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, asked a judge to dismiss drug trafficking charges against them, arguing that they enjoy immunity as the leader and first lady of a foreign country. In documents filed in Manhattan federal court, Maduro's lawyers said the judge was legally obligated to dismiss the charges because such charges cannot be brought against a foreign leader. "No U.S. court has ever tried a foreign l…
Nicolas Maduro contests the American requisitor in court in the file in which he is accused of narcotics and drug trafficking. By his lawyers, the former leader of Caracas claims that the American authorities cannot prosecute him for alleged acts committed in the exercise of his office.
Nicolás Maduro and Wife Seek Dismissal of U.S. Drug Trafficking Indictment on Immunity Grounds
Internewscast Journal Internewscast New York — Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s former president, and his wife urged… This Post: Nicolás Maduro and Wife Seek Dismissal of U.S. Drug Trafficking Indictment on Immunity Grounds first appeared on Internewscast Journal
Lawyers for former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro have called for his trial to be halted, insisting that he enjoys "judicial immunity" as the head of an independent state.
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