Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expected to face more charges this week

What the report says

Federal prosecutors in the United States are expected to file additional charges this week against former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to BBC World News’ report citing CBS, the BBC’s US media partner. The new allegations are said to center on their reported role in the torture of Americans held in Venezuelan prisons. CBS also reported that other people could be charged in connection with the abuse of more than a dozen Americans who were allegedly wrongfully detained under Maduro’s government.

The BBC said Maduro and Flores were taken from their compound in Caracas and brought to New York earlier this year after a nighttime raid by US forces. They are already facing earlier US charges tied to weapons and drug offences, which they deny. Flores is due to appear in federal court in New York for a bond hearing on Thursday, while the trial for both defendants is scheduled for June 2027.

The case is part of a broader US prosecution that has accused Maduro and associates of narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking and weapons-related crimes. His lawyers have argued that he should be protected by sovereign immunity and that the manner of his transfer to the US was unlawful. The judge has not yet ruled on those requests. The BBC noted it had contacted Maduro’s lawyer and the Manhattan US Attorney’s office for comment. In general terms, the case underscores continuing tensions between Washington and Caracas and the wider political and legal battle over Maduro’s rule.