Nicolas Maduro claims presidential immunity and asks New York court to dismiss case

New York.- Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has asked a New York court to dismiss the criminal case against him, arguing that the court lacks jurisdiction to try him because he was Venezuela’s sitting head of state when the charges were filed.

In a motion submitted by his lawyers, Maduro’s defense argued that international law grants immunity to sovereign heads of state and that no U.S. court has previously tried a foreign leader who was recognized by his own country as its sitting president when criminal charges were brought.

Maduro, 63, faces four federal charges, including narco-terrorism, and is scheduled to go to trial on June 1, 2027. His wife, Cilia Flores, who is also detained in the United States, has joined his legal challenge.

The defense maintains that Maduro is entitled to immunity because the charges relate to actions allegedly committed while he was president. During his first court appearance in January, Maduro pleaded not guilty, insisted that he remained Venezuela’s legitimate president and described himself as a “prisoner of war.”

The former president was captured alongside Flores in Caracas on January 3 during a U.S. military operation and has remained detained at a Brooklyn facility under strict conditions. His former vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, has since governed Venezuela on an interim basis amid intense pressure from Washington.

Maduro became president in 2013 following the death of Hugo Chávez. His reelections in 2018 and 2024 were rejected by the United States and several European and Latin American governments, which questioned the legitimacy of the electoral processes.

U.S. authorities have not publicly commented on the defense’s latest request. Judge Alvin Hellerstein is expected to consider the immunity and jurisdiction arguments at a hearing scheduled for November 17.