Venezuela’s Maduro asserts immunity in US court, urges dismissal of charges

Published On 3 Sep 20263 Sep 2026Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has urged a United States judge to dismiss the criminal drug trafficking charges against him, arguing he should be immune from prosecution as the head of a sovereign country.Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, made the appeal in a Manhattan district court on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Venezuela’s Maduro shares first photos from US detentionlist 2 of 3US judge sets 2027 trial date for Venezuela’s Madurolist 3 of 3US energy secretary will travel to Venezuela to unveil oil arrangementend of listHis legal team has petitioned District Judge Alvin Hellerstein to dismiss the case, which will test the willingness of US courts to apply international law to criminal cases.Maduro was abducted and imprisoned on January 3, after US President Donald Trump authorised a military raid in Caracas. The former Venezuelan leader, who has been held in a Brooklyn federal jail, has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go on trial on June 1, 2027, if his effort to dismiss the case is unsuccessful.The principle that sitting heads of state are immune from prosecution abroad is a longstanding tenet of intern...