Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges before a district judge.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges brought by the United States during his first court appearance in New York on Monday, telling the courtroom that he was innocent and had been kidnapped, AP reported.
“I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country,” he told the court.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were abducted by the US military in an overnight operation on Saturday.
They appeared before US District Judge Alvin K Hellerstein on Monday for an arraignment on charges including alleged “narcoterrorism”, Al Jazeera reported.
Flores also pleaded not guilty during the proceeding. Neither Nicolás Maduro nor Flores sought bail or release.
The judge scheduled Maduro’s next court hearing for March 17.
