Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expected to face more charges this week

Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expected to face more charges this week

Federal prosecutors are expected to bring additional charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, the BBC’s US media partner CBS has reported.

The new charges accuse them of playing a role in the torture of Americans who were held in Venezuelan prisons, according to CBS.

US forces seized Maduro and Flores from their compound in the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, in a dramatic, night-time raid on 3 January, and brought them to New York to face charges for alleged weapon and drug offences, which they deny.

The BBC has contacted Maduro’s lawyer for comment as well as the US Attorney’s office in Manhattan ​which brought the charges.

Additional people may be charged for their role in torturing more than a dozen Americans who were wrongfully detained by the Venezuelan government under Maduro, CBS reports.

Maduro’s attorney, Barry Pollack, told CBS that he was not provided notice about any additional charges.

Flores, who is facing drug trafficking and weapons charges, is scheduled to appear in federal court for a bond hearing on Thursday in New York.

The trial for both Maduro and Flores is set to begin in June 2027.