By Latin America Reports | Created at 2026-07-22 22:21:59 | Updated at 2026-07-22 23:22:05
1 hour ago
Mexico City, Mexico – A U.S. court today set a June 1, 2027 trial date for Venezuelan ex-president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
The pair appeared in court for their third pre-trial hearing since being captured by U.S. forces earlier this year.
Nicolás Maduro is accused of narco-terrorism, cocaine-importation conspiracy and other weapons-related charges, which could potentially mean a life sentence for him.
The ousted president was formally charged after being captured along with his wife from Venezuela on January 3 this year in an undertaking the U.S. government has called a “surgical law enforcement operation.”
In his first pretrial hearing, Maduro claimed to be a prisoner of war and maintained he was “still president of Venezuela.”
Under the schedule approved today, Maduro’s lawyers must file their first motions to dismiss the case by September 2, ahead of the trial. That filing is expected to center on Maduro’s claim to sovereign immunity as a former head of state.
But Roxanne del Carmen Cabrera, a Venezuelan human rights lawyer, told Latin America Reports the immunity argument is “pretty questionable if we consider all the evidence suggesting the last elections were a fraud.” She added that the U.S. itself never recognized the results.
Nevertheless, a hearing on the matter has been set for November 17, when the issue of Maduro’s potential immunity will be argued.
The immunity question is not unique to Maduro. After his arrest, the country was left in the hands of Delcy Rodríguez, the acting president, who has been very cooperative with the Trump administration – and whose own government is now leaning on the same legal argument to shield her from U.S. courts.
A few days ago, the U.S. administration intervened in a civil lawsuit in a Florida court to secure immunity for Rodríguez, who was accused of involvement in the alleged torture of three American citizens while in Venezuela. The government argued Rodríguez should be shielded from the case under head-of-state immunity.
In previous court appearances, Maduro’s lawyers requested the charges against him be dismissed because the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) did not authorize them to use Venezuelan government funds to pay for the defense. But OFAC authorized the use of these funds in April.
According to reports from El País, Maduro looked visibly thinner in his court appearance today, but maintained his jolly attitude. However, his wife appeared more serious.
Featured image description: A poster of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores reads “#FreeCilia #FreeMaduro.
Featured image credit: @NicolasMaduro via X.
