Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores both were hit with an additional US criminal charge yesterday stemming from accusations they tortured political opponents and American citizens to retain their grip on power in the South American country.
Separately, US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who is overseeing the case, denied a request by Flores to be released from jail ahead of trial due to health reasons.
Maduro and Flores were charged with an additional count of conspiracy to commit torture in addition to the drug trafficking charges they previously faced, according to a superseding indictment filed in Manhattan federal court. Maduro and Flores would face a mandatory-minimum 50 years in prison if convicted.
Flores, 69, and Maduro, 63, were captured by the US military on January 3 and brought to New York to face the drug charges.
Venezuela has since boosted co-operation with the US under the leadership of Maduro’s former Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.
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