Maduro to Appear Before New York Judge After Seizure by US Forces

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Under heavy security and intense international scrutiny, Venezuela’s deposed president Nicolas Maduro is set to stand before a federal judge in New York, marking a decisive legal step after his dramatic seizure and transfer to the United States.

A US federal court said Venezuela’s former president Nicolas Maduro is scheduled to appear before a judge in New York at noon Monday, where he will be formally notified of the charges against him.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were seized by US forces during a pre-dawn raid on Saturday in Caracas and transported to New York. According to the court, Maduro faces charges of “narcoterrorism” linked to the alleged trafficking of tons of cocaine into the United States.

The court appearance is expected to be the first formal judicial step following his detention and transfer, as proceedings move forward in the US legal system.

The court hearing comes amid a turbulent political moment in Venezuela, defined by a sharp warning from US President Donald Trump and a swift move by Venezuela’s military to recognize Delcy Rodriguez as acting president.

Trump said Sunday that Rodriguez would pay a “very big price” if she failed to cooperate with the United States following the seizure of her former boss. “If she doesn’t do what’s right, she is going to pay a very big price, probably bigger than Maduro,” Trump told The Atlantic in a brief telephone interview.

On the same day, Venezuela’s military recognized Rodriguez, the deputy to the ousted president, as the country’s acting leader. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez appeared on state television to announce military backing for a Supreme Court ruling appointing Rodriguez as acting president for ninety days.

Padrino called on Venezuelans to return to daily life less than two days after US strikes shook Caracas and special forces seized Maduro and his wife. He described the operation as a “cowardly kidnapping,” saying some of Maduro’s bodyguards were killed “in cold blood,” along with military personnel and civilians. Venezuelan authorities have not released an official toll for those wounded or killed.

“I call on the people of Venezuela to resume their activities of all kinds, economic, work and education, in the coming days,” Padrino said. “The homeland must follow its constitutional course.”

As Maduro prepares to face a US judge in New York, Venezuela remains in a volatile interim phase, caught between unfolding legal proceedings abroad and a fragile political transition at home.