Former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has rejected new allegations linking him and his wife, Cilia Flores, to a conspiracy to commit torture, as US prosecutors widen the criminal case against the detained couple ahead of their scheduled trial in June 2027.
Maduro and Flores appeared before a federal court in New York on Thursday, October 15, 2026 where both denied the latest charges. The former president insisted that the accusations against him were false, while his wife also declared that she was not guilty.
The new allegations were added to a case that already accuses Maduro of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and weapons-related offences. US prosecutors filed the additional charges last week, claiming that Maduro and Flores were involved in a system of violent repression in Venezuela.
During the court session, Maduro challenged the allegations presented against him, using a translator to address the court in Spanish.
"I reject this document entirely," Maduro said.
He also told the court that he rejected the "false accusations and false testimony against me."
Judge Alvin Hellerstein interrupted Maduro and stated that a plea of not guilty would be entered on his behalf.
Flores, who appeared alongside her husband, also denied the accusations.
"I am completely innocent. I am not guilty," she said through a translator.
Both defendants wore beige prison uniforms during the hearing. They also appeared to have lost weight while being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where they remain in custody.
Prosecutors Allege Systematic Abuse in Venezuela
The latest indictment sets out allegations of widespread violence and abuse, accusing Maduro and Flores of helping establish and maintain a system used to suppress people in Venezuela.
According to the prosecutors, the pair "created and maintained a violent system of repression" that saw "thousands of Venezuelans" killed, harassed and tortured.
The indictment describes several alleged forms of abuse, including "electric shock, asphyxiation, rape, forced nudity, prolonged isolation, starvation, punishment cells, and psychological torture".
Prosecutors further allege that Maduro authorised the use of torture "against specific individuals". They also claim that US citizens were subjected to torture under the system described in the indictment.
The new charges add another layer to the legal proceedings against the former Venezuelan president and his wife. Prosecutors have already accused Maduro, Flores, their son and other alleged associates of participating in a cocaine-trafficking conspiracy and working with drug cartels designated as terrorist groups.
Maduro has previously dismissed the allegations against him, arguing that the prosecution is politically motivated. He has described the charges as a tool for advancing what he called "imperial" plans aimed at gaining access to Venezuela's rich oil reserves.
Couple Challenge Legality of US Case
Maduro and Flores have also asked the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the prosecution should not proceed because Maduro is entitled to sovereign immunity as the leader of a sovereign country.
Their lawyers maintain that the US operation that resulted in the couple's capture was illegal and have challenged the basis on which they were brought to the United States.
The pair were captured during a US military raid in January before being transferred to New York, where they have remained in detention as the case moves through the courts.
Both have pleaded not guilty to the allegations against them and are seeking to have the proceedings thrown out. Their legal arguments include the claim that Maduro's position as a national leader shields him from prosecution in the United States.
Despite their efforts to challenge the case, the court proceedings are continuing, with the trial currently scheduled for June 2027.
Flores has also made a separate attempt to secure her release while awaiting trial. She asked a judge to grant her bond, citing heart problems and other health concerns that she said she had experienced during her detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The request was unsuccessful, leaving her in custody as she prepares to fight the charges alongside her husband.
Maduro and Flores now face the expanded case while continuing to deny the allegations and challenge the US government's authority to prosecute them.