Venezuela’s ousted leader Maduro back in US court

NEW YORK - Venezuela’s ousted president Nicolas Maduro is set to appear before a New York court on July 22, his third public hearing since the US military captured him in a stunning nighttime raid in January.

The former leader, 63, and wife Cilia Flores have been held in a Brooklyn jail since the US military operation, awaiting trial on drug trafficking, firearms and other charges.

American commandos snatched the pair from their compound in Caracas on Jan 3, in a lightning operation combining naval, air and ground forces that deposed the strongman who had led Venezuela since 2013.

The hearing on July 22 is expected to largely focus on procedural matters.

After a stand-off, the United States in April allowed Venezuela to pay for Maduro’s and Flores’s legal defence, something previously barred by US sanctions.

The Maduros had sought to have their cases dismissed on grounds that blocking the funding violated the US Constitution’s right to counsel of one’s choice.

Maduro has declared himself a “prisoner of war” and pleaded not guilty to the four counts he faces: “narco-terrorism” conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.

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 going into special accounts overseen by Washington. AFP