Maduro trial: ex-Venezuela first lady seeks release from US jail, citing heart problems
Venezuela’s former first lady wants to be let out of jail while she and her husband await trial on US drug-trafficking charges. Cilia Flores, the wife of ex-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, “deserves the opportunity to await her trial while on home confinement” while dealing with a heart condition that has only got worse since she’s been in jail, her lawyers wrote in court papers filed on…
The wife of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Cilia Flores, is seeking to be released from a US jail on home confinement due to a worsening heart condition. Her lawyers, Mark Donnelly and Andres Sanchez, argued that she should be allowed to await her trial while living in a safe home within the Manhattan federal court district.
The home would have 24-hour armed surveillance, limited visitor access, and recorded calls. Flores, 69, and Maduro, 63, have been jailed since January after their arrest in Venezuela. They have pleaded not guilty to drug-trafficking charges, claiming they were part of a conspiracy to import cocaine into the US. The judge in the case, Alvin K. Hellerstein, has not yet ruled on the Flores' request.
The indictment against the couple has been challenged on grounds of immunity due to their status as leaders of a foreign country.
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