A US judge on Wednesday set a 1 June 2027 trial date for Venezuela's ousted president Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on drug trafficking charges.
Neither Maduro nor his wife spoke during Wednesday's 15-minute hearing.
Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein set the trial date at the request of lawyers for both sides. Under the agreed timetable, defence lawyers will begin filing motions in early September challenging the indictment.
During the hearing, Maduro’s lawyer, Barry Pollack, said he would first challenge the indictment on sovereign immunity grounds. Pollack, has previously said he expects to contest the legality of Maduro’s “military abduction.”
The lawyers have said there are complex legal defences that the court must address before a trial can begin.
