President Maduro: I’m Not Guilty, I’m a Decent Man And I Remain The President Of My Country

Citizen holds up image of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

January 5, 2026 Hour: 2:48 pm

The Bolivarian leader and First Lady Celia Flores make initial appearance in Judge Alvin’s court.

On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores arrived at the federal courthouse for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan.

From that Court, the Bolivarian leader made his first public statement after U.S. forces abducted him during a military operation in his country’s capital on January 3rd.

“I am the president of Venezuela and I consider myself a prisoner of war. I was captured in my home in Caracas,” President Maduro declared.

“I am not guilty, I am a decent man and I remain the president of my country,” the Bolivarian leader affirmed as he rejected the charges against him.

Previously, President Maduro and his wife were transferred from the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn to a field on the outskirts of the city, where they were placed aboard a helicopter that flew them to a helipad near the Southern District of New York courthouse.

The aircraft landed minutes later in the vicinity of the judicial building. The two Bolivarian leaders were then taken to the courthouse in a five-vehicle convoy under heavy police escort. Police closed several streets in the surrounding area during the security operation.

On Jan. 3, the Justice Department made public an indictment against the Venezuelan president for alleged crimes related to drug trafficking. In its original version, however, the indictment was filed in 2020.

The current indictment charges President Maduro with conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to use those weapons. For the first time, U.S. prosecutors have included Cilia Flores in the case, accusing her of alleged involvement in coordinating meetings and logistics for the network.

Their case is overseen by U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, 92. Following the initial hearing, the court is expected to determine the next steps in the proceedings, including detention conditions and the judicial schedule for the case.