Venezuela's Maduro Asserts Immunity, Urges US Judge to Dismiss Charges
Maduro’s lawyer says the indictment violates long-standing head-of-state immunity and asks the judge to dismiss the case before a 2027 trial.
- On Wednesday, Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro petitioned District Judge Alvin Hellerstein to dismiss drug trafficking charges, arguing he holds sovereign immunity as a head of state.
- United States military forces captured Maduro in Caracas on Jan 3 following an authorization by President Donald Trump; he remains in a Brooklyn federal jail awaiting trial.
- Attorney Barry Pollack argued the prosecution violates "absolute immunity from criminal jurisdiction to which heads of state and foreign officials acting in their official capacities have been entitled for hundreds of years." The United States stopped recognizing Maduro as Venezuela's president in 2019 due to disputed elections.
- Prosecutors must respond to the dismissal motion by Oct 2, with Judge Hellerstein scheduling a hearing for Nov 17; the case tests United States courts' willingness to apply international law.
- Former vice president Delcy Rodriguez now leads Venezuela while increasing cooperation with the Trump administration; last month, the two countries reached a deal granting the United States access to around one-fifth of Venezuelan oil reserves.
46 Articles
46 Articles
Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has asked a U.S. court to drop a criminal case against him on drug trafficking charges, saying he enjoys immunity as the head of a sovereign state, Reuters reported. The charges, filed in a federal court in Manhattan, served as the basis for the January 3 U.S. military operation that led to the U.S. invasion of Caracas and the capture of Maduro, BTA recalls. He has pleaded not guilty. If his request to…
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Oh Su-jin = Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was ousted by a U.S. military raid and is currently on trial in the United States, [is] the former head of state...
Venezuela's Maduro asserts immunity, urges US judge to dismiss charges
NEW YORK: Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro urged a US judge on Wednesday (Sep 2) to dismiss criminal drug trafficking charges against him, arguing he should be immune from prosecution as the head of a sovereign country.The charges, filed in Manhattan federal court, formed the basis for the US milita
The defense points out that a U.S. court has no jurisdiction and underlines Maduro's status as head of state. It also warns that the accusation does not establish "intention to cause harm to the U.S., its citizens or its interests."
By María Santana, CNN en Español Venezuela's deposed President Nicolás Maduro asked a federal judge in New York this Wednesday to dismiss the criminal charge against him in the United States, arguing that he is protected by sovereign immunity.In a motion to dismiss the accusation, Maduro's lawyer team, Barry
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