Ousted Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro returned to a Manhattan court Thursday to face historic drug trafficking charges — as he tussled with prosecutors over who should foot his legal bills.
The toppled strongman, 63, wearing a tan jail jumpsuit and black glasses, calmly jotted down notes during his first appearance in court since January, where he had defiantly claimed that the US military had “kidnapped’’ him.
The hearing unfolded inside a packed Manhattan federal courtroom, as dueling protesters clashed outside.
Prosecutors and lawyers for Maduro and his wife, 69-year-old Celia Flores, are expected to grapple during the hearing over who will pay Maduro’s legal fees.
Maduro’s camp says Venezuela’s government should be able to pay for his defense, but the US government has yet to hand over a waiver exempting them from US sanctions.
Here’s the latest on Nicolás Maduro’s capture:
- Trump to meet Venezuelan opposition leader, would be ‘great honor’ to receive her Nobel Peace Prize
- Trump ‘surprised’ Mamdani ‘hit me’ on Venezuela — but praises NYC mayor’s ‘great personality’
- US capture of Maduro could lead to rise in defense spending: analyst
- Interim Venezuelan president names Maduro’s torture czar as head of security
Before the hearing, small groups of both pro- and anti-Maduro protesters gathered outside the courthouse. One member of the anti-Maduro cadre held up a sign saying “Maduro, Rot in Prison,” while the pro-Maduro crew held Venezuelan flags and signs saying “Free President Maduro.”
Both Maduro and his wife remain jailed at the Brooklyn Detention Center. US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein has yet to set a trial date.
