Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro made his first appearance in a U.S. courtroom Monday after his arrest, pleading not guilty to all charges and reiterating that he remains Venezuela’s legitimate leader.“I am innocent, I am not guilty,” Maduro told the judge, adding: “I am a decent man.” While continuing to speak in Spanish, he said, “I am still president of my country,” before Judge Alvin Hellerstein cut him off.
“A plea of not guilty is entered on behalf of Mr. Maduro,” Hellerstein said, interrupting Maduro mid-sentence. Defense attorney Barry Pollack later confirmed that Maduro had pleaded not guilty to all four charges.During the hearing, Maduro told the court that he had not yet seen the charges against him and was unaware of his legal rights. “I didn’t know about these rights,” he said through an interpreter. “Your Honor is now informing me of this,” AP reported.At the start of the hearing, a court-appointed translator delivered Maduro’s account of his arrest. “I was captured in my home in Caracas, Venezuela,” the translator said on his behalf.Maduro entered the courtroom shortly after 12 p.m. (local time) in prison garb, with his feet shackled and headphones for translating, CBS News reported.His wife, Cilia Flores, who appeared alongside him, wore similar prison garb. Neither of them had their hands tied. As Maduro entered the courtroom, he briefly shook his lawyer’s hand.After Maduro entered his plea, Judge Hellerstein turned to his wife to confirm her identity. Through an interpreter, she said in Spanish: “I am the first lady of the Republic of Venezuela.”When Flores was asked to enter a plea, he replied, “Not guilty. Totally innocent.”Towards the end of the hearing, Maduro’s lawyer said his client was “head of a sovereign state and is entitled to the privileges” that such status brings. Pollack also raised “questions about the legality of his military kidnapping,” adding that there would be “extensive” pre-trial documentation to challenge the case on legal grounds.The trial ended at 12:31 p.m. (local time) after Flores’ lawyer Mark Donnelly told the court that his client was suffering from “health and medical issues that require attention.” Donnelly said Flores, 69, may have suffered a fracture or severe bruise to his ribs and may need to undergo a full X-ray examination.Both Maduro and Flores agreed to remain in custody for now, with their lawyers reserving the right to seek bail at a later date.Maduro is represented by Pollack, an experienced litigator. Pollack previously represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. He also helped negotiate the 2024 plea deal in which Assange pleaded guilty to a single felony count related to the publication of U.S. military secrets.Further proceedings in the case will take place on March 17.
