Caracas – Former President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, filed a petition with the Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice on Thursday, requesting that the ongoing United States drug‑trafficking indictment be dismissed on the basis of diplomatic immunity. The indictment, unsealed in March 2024, accuses the couple of facilitating the shipment of cocaine from South America to North America through Venezuelan ports. In their filing, the Maduristas argue that the charges violate the 1978 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, asserting that Maduro’s former status as head of state shields him from prosecution for acts performed in an official capacity. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland’s office responded that the case proceeds under the premise that the alleged conduct was criminal and not protected by sovereign immunity. International legal experts note that the outcome could set a precedent for how former heads of state are treated in transnational drug cases.
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