Captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have pleaded not guilty to an expanded US indictment charging them with conspiracy to commit torture.
Speaking through an interpreter at a federal court in New York on Thursday, Maduro dismissed the revised indictment as a repackaging of earlier false claims, CNN reported.
Flores, whose request for house arrest was recently denied, also pleaded not guilty. The couple are accused of torturing Americans and others held in Venezuelan custody in recent years, in addition to facing existing narcotics and weapons charges.
The couple have sought to have the case dismissed, arguing that they have immunity as the president and first lady of a sovereign country. A hearing on the defence’s dismissal arguments was set for December 17.
Extra time for preliminary filings
The judge also granted a joint request from defence lawyers and prosecutors to delay the trial by two weeks until June 14 next year to allow time for preliminary filings.
Maduro and Flores are being held in a Brooklyn jail after US forces captured them at their Caracas residence in January and flew them to New York to face federal charges.
Rodriguez, Maduro’s former vice president, has led Venezuela since his capture and expanded cooperation with Washington.
Trump has touted Maduro’s capture and improved ties with Venezuela as a key foreign policy success ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, in which Republicans are seeking to retain control of Congress.
