WEBDESK - NAYADAUR
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is expected to face new criminal charges in the United States over allegations that Americans were wrongfully detained and tortured during his 13-year rule.
The charges could be announced as soon as Thursday, according to US media reports citing people familiar with the investigation.
Maduro, 63, and his wife, Cilia Flores, 69, were captured during a US military operation in Venezuela in January and brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Their trial is expected to begin in June.
New allegations of torture
According to CNN, the potential torture charges are linked to the alleged wrongful detention of more than a dozen US citizens in Venezuela during Maduro's presidency.
US prosecutors are also considering charges against several other individuals who allegedly participated in the torture of American detainees, the report said.
The Manhattan US Attorney's Office, which is prosecuting Maduro and Flores, has not publicly confirmed the possible new charges.
A spokesperson for the office declined to comment, while lawyers representing Maduro and Flores did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
If filed, the charges would significantly expand the US case against the former Venezuelan leader, who has already been accused of participating in a drug trafficking conspiracy.
Americans detained under Maduro
Relations between Washington and Caracas deteriorated sharply during Maduro's presidency, with the United States repeatedly accusing his government of suppressing political opposition and wrongfully detaining American citizens.
US officials had previously said Maduro's government used detained Americans as leverage in negotiations with Washington, including efforts to secure relief from US financial sanctions.
Among those classified by the US as wrongfully detained were five executives from the Venezuelan oil company Citgo.
The executives were arrested in Venezuela in 2017 on corruption-related allegations and remained imprisoned for years.
They were eventually released in 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange involving two nephews of Flores who had been convicted in the United States on drug trafficking charges.
Maduro's detention and Venezuela's new leadership
Maduro and Flores have been held in a federal detention facility in Brooklyn since their capture.
Their detention followed a dramatic US military operation in Venezuela in January that resulted in the removal of Maduro from power and his transfer to the United States.
Since Maduro's capture, Venezuela has been led by his former vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez.
Rodríguez has moved to increase cooperation with the administration of US President Donald Trump as Caracas seeks to manage relations with Washington following Maduro's removal.
The potential torture case adds another major legal challenge for Maduro and his government officials as US prosecutors continue investigating alleged abuses committed during his presidency.
Flores seeks release
Flores is scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court on Thursday, where her lawyers are expected to ask for her release from federal custody ahead of the trial.
Her lawyers are expected to argue that health concerns justify her release.
US prosecutors are opposing the request, according to court-related reports.
Any new torture charges against Maduro and other former Venezuelan officials could further complicate an already high-profile case that has become a major point of tension between Washington and Caracas.
For Maduro, the allegations would add potentially serious human rights-related accusations to the drug trafficking charges he is already fighting in a US federal court.