Nicolas Maduro faces possible US torture charges

US prosecutors are expected to bring new charges against ousted Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, over the alleged torture of Americans held in Venezuelan government custody, CNN reported Wednesday.

CNN, citing people familiar with the investigation, said the charges relate to the alleged wrongful detention of more than a dozen US citizens in Venezuela during Maduro's rule. The network reported that prosecutors are also considering charges against several other people over their alleged roles in torturing Americans, and said charges could be announced as soon as Thursday.

US prosecutors declined immediate comment to AFP.

Maduro and Flores already face drug trafficking and firearms charges in the United States after they were seized from their Caracas compound in a US military raid in January. They are being held in a Brooklyn jail and are due to stand trial in New York next June.

US prosecutors allege that Maduro used state power to protect and promote drug smuggling and worked with cartels to ship cocaine into the United States. Maduro has denied four counts, including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.

Flores has pleaded not guilty to three counts, including cocaine importation conspiracy. She is due in court for a hearing on a request to move from custody to house arrest because of apparent heart problems.