Maduro, wife expected to face new charges over alleged torture of Americans
Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are expected to face new charges related to the alleged torture of Americans in custody, with an announcement anticipated soon. Both are currently jailed in Brooklyn after being taken by US special forces and charged with narcoterrorism conspiracy, which they deny.
WASHINGTON: Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife are expected to face new charges over alleged torture of Americans who were in the country’s custody in recent years, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing multiple people familiar.
The announcement could come as soon as Thursday, according to CNN.
Maduro, 63, and his wife Cilia Flores, 69, were captured from their home in Caracas by US special forces on January 3 and brought to New York to face criminal charges including narcoterrorism conspiracy. They have pleaded not guilty and are jailed in Brooklyn pending trial.
During his first term in the White House, US President Donald Trump ramped up sanctions on Venezuela over allegations that Maduro’s government was corrupt and undermining democratic institutions. Washington called Maduro’s 2018 reelection fraudulent.
Maduro dismissed those accusations, along with allegations of his participation in drug trafficking, as pretextual justifications for what he called a US desire to seize control of the South American OPEC nation’s vast oil reserves.