The appearance by Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, was the first on the drugs and weapons charges the Trump administration used to justify capturing the couple and bringing them to New York.
Nicolas Maduro’s arraignment was an „extraordinary moment in history“, US President Donald Trump has said, as the deposed Venezuelan leader made his first court appearance since being captured.
Maduro appeared in the Manhattan courthouse on Monday to plead not guilty and tell the judge he was „the president of my country“.
His wife, Cilia Flores, was also present, and she too pleaded not guilty to the charges, saying: „I am the first lady of Venezuela.“
Maduro faces the following charges: narco-terrorism conspiracy; cocaine importation conspiracy; possession of machine guns and destructive devices; conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
