Maduro due in New York court in US criminal case

Nicolas Maduro is set to appear before a New York court on Wednesday, 22 July, in what would be his third public hearing since the US military captured him in January.

Maduro, described in the source as Venezuela's ousted president, and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been held in a Brooklyn jail while awaiting trial on drug trafficking, firearms and other charges. Maduro, 63, has pleaded not guilty to four counts: narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

The source said US commandos captured Maduro and Flores at their compound in Caracas on 3 January in a nighttime operation involving naval, air and ground forces. Maduro had led Venezuela since 2013.

Wednesday's hearing is expected to deal mainly with procedural issues. In April, after a standoff, the United States allowed Venezuela to pay for Maduro's and Flores's legal defence, despite earlier restrictions under US sanctions. They had sought dismissal of their cases, arguing that blocking the funding violated the US constitutional right to counsel of one's choice.

Maduro has called himself a prisoner of war. Venezuela is now led by Maduro's former vice president, Delcy Rodriguez, while the United States effectively controls the country's oil exports, with proceeds placed in special accounts overseen by Washington.