U.S. Judge Alvin Hellerstein set a hearing for Thursday, October 15, in New York for former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to respond to new charges filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The hearing is scheduled for 11 a.m. Eastern time, or 15:00 GMT, according to an order issued Wednesday by the judge and filed in the case docket. The proceeding will address charges contained in an updated indictment against both defendants.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed charges one week prior for conspiracy to commit torture against both Maduro and Flores. The prosecution also extended a narcoterrorism charge to Flores that previously applied only to Maduro.
Both remain accused of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States and possession and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices. According to the updated indictment, the Maduro government inflicted torture against political opponents and military personnel.