00:00Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and U.S. Justice Department prosecutors have proposed June 2027 as the start date for
00:09his criminal drug trafficking trial.
00:12The proposal was included in a joint court filing submitted on Tuesday ahead of a hearing scheduled for Wednesday in
00:19a federal court in Manhattan.
00:22Under the proposed timetable, Maduro must file his first legal motions by September 2 to have the case dismissed before
00:30it proceeds to trial.
00:32His legal team is expected to argue that he is immune from prosecution because he served as the head of
00:38a sovereign state.
00:39A second round of legal motions is due by January 11 after prosecutors provide classified evidence for the defense to
00:47examine.
00:48Maduro and his wife Celia Flores were captured by U.S. Special Forces during a nighttime raid in Caracas in
00:55January before being transferred to New York.
00:58U.S. authorities also accused Maduro of manipulating the 2018 and 2024 presidential elections and say they have not recognized
01:06him as Venezuela's legitimate president since 2019.
01:10Maduro and Flores have pleaded not guilty to all charges and have remained in a federal detention facility in Brooklyn
01:17since their transfer to the U.S. in January.
