US prosecutors are expected to announce new charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, for the alleged torture of American citizens detained in Venezuela. A US official indicated that the charges could be made public as soon as Thursday and relate to the alleged wrongful detention of over a dozen US citizens during Maduro's 13-year presidency. Additional charges may also be considered against others allegedly involved in the torture. Details regarding the new charges and the alleged victims have not been disclosed.
Cilia Flores, 69, is scheduled to appear in Manhattan federal court on Thursday to request release from jail on health grounds, citing significant weight loss, dizziness, shortness of breath, and a possible minor heart attack in July. Her legal team has proposed that she be allowed to live at a New York residence under 24-hour security. However, prosecutors oppose this request, asserting that Flores poses an extreme flight risk and danger to the public if released. They noted that she has received necessary hospital treatment while in custody.
Both Maduro, 63, and Flores are currently held at a federal detention center in Brooklyn, awaiting trial scheduled for June next year. They were captured during a raid on their Caracas home on January 3, which US President Donald Trump described as a surgical law enforcement operation. Critics have accused Trump of acting outside international law. The couple faces existing charges related to drug trafficking and firearms. Maduro has claimed innocence, describing himself as a prisoner of war and referring to his capture as a kidnapping. In August, Trump announced a deal to take control of part of Venezuela's oil reserves, which Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodriguez called historic.