The hearing had initially been scheduled for March 17, but was rescheduled at the request of the prosecutor, for logistical and planning reasons. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office in the Southern District of New York argued that o postponement was necessary to gather additional evidence.
The US court postponed until March 26 the hearing in the trial for drug trafficking and other crimes of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, detained in the US.
A joint notification from the prosecution and defense to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, made available this Wednesday in the records, Maduro and Flores receivedon January 30th, the consular visit of a Venezuelan representative to “assist in obtaining any services the defendants may need.”
The hearing had initially been scheduled for March 17, but was rescheduled at the request of the prosecutorwith the consent of the defense, for logistical and planning reasons.
The judge instructed the prosecution, during the first hearing on January 5, to facilitate the defendants’ access to consular services and inform the court of compliance with this determination.
O document states that this obligation was respected with the visit at the end of Januarywithout going into details.
The Federal Prosecutor’s Office in the Southern District of New York argued that o postponement was necessary to gather additional evidenceallow a review by the defense and decide which motions to present before trial, a decision granted by the judge “in the name of justice”.
Maduro and Flores were captured in early Januaryin an operation by US forces in Caracas, becoming global news and an unprecedented milestone in the relationship between Washington and Venezuela.
Both remain detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, and repeatedly denied the accusationsdeclaring themselves innocent and criticizing the legality of the situation.
