The federal judge presiding over the case of Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday set a June 2027 trial date for the captured Venezuelan leader, introducing some deadlines into a high-profile case that has proceeded slowly.
The judge, Alvin K. Hellerstein, set the June 1 trial date after prosecutors and lawyers for Mr. Maduro said on Tuesday evening that they had agreed to it, ahead of a Wednesday court appearance.
Like all trial dates set far in advance, the schedule is tentative and could be subject to changes, particularly if Mr. Maduro’s challenges to his case are evaluated by higher courts.
Mr. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized from a Caracas compound in a U.S. military operation in January. They have pleaded not guilty to conspiracies to commit narco-terrorism and import cocaine, along with other counts. It is unclear whether other charges will be brought.
Judge Hellerstein consented on Wednesday to the lawyers’ request to have the pretrial proceedings take place in two stages. First, Mr. Maduro is expected to contest the notion that he can even be prosecuted by the American government, claiming sovereign immunity that would not require him to litigate the case further.
As his lawyer, Barry J. Pollack, explained in court on Wednesday, if that argument or others along the same lines were successful, Mr. Maduro would not have to challenge the particulars of the prosecution.
Mr. Pollack had previously said that Mr. Maduro would also challenge the legality of his extraordinary capture and argue that he has immunity as a head of state.
The latter argument is likely to be particularly compelling and could eventually reach the Supreme Court. Though the U.S. secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has repeatedly said that Mr. Maduro was not the legitimate president of Venezuela, the American government — and Mr. Rubio personally — have empowered Delcy Rodríguez, who was Mr. Maduro’s vice president and now leads Venezuela.
Mr. Pollack may argue that in legitimizing Ms. Rodríguez, the Trump administration has shown Mr. Maduro to have been legitimate in his own right.
If those arguments fail, Mr. Maduro is expected to challenge the details of an indictment that accuses him of corrupting Venezuela’s government and using it to export cocaine on a global scale. Mr. Maduro’s lawyers are expected to present those arguments, if necessary, early next year.
Mr. Maduro appeared wearing a khaki jumpsuit and shook hands with his lawyers before putting on the headphones that allowed him to hear translations of what, for him, was a foreign court proceeding. The appearance was a brisk 15 minutes, and he left the courtroom with a quick wave to the gallery.
Wednesday marked his first courtroom appearance since March. While the Venezuelan leader still draws a crowd inside and outside the courthouse, his months in detention appeared to have somewhat diminished public interest.
The crowd outside the Lower Manhattan courtroom on Wednesday was more sparse than during his earlier court appearances, though the fierce emotions that the Venezuelan autocrat tends to inspire were still evident. One demonstrator draped in a Venezuelan flag held a sign calling for Mr. Maduro to “rot in prison” and adding an expletive.
The post Nicolás Maduro’s Trial to Start in June 2027, Judge Says appeared first on New York Times.
