NEW YORK, October 15. /TASS/. Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have pleaded not guilty to new indictments brought against them at a hearing in the federal court for the Southern District of New York.
"These are false accusation against me," Maduro replied when asked about his plea. When US District Judge Alvin Hellerstein asked him again to clarify whether he was pleading guilty, Maduro replied: "I reject this document in its entirety." After that, the judge ordered that the plea of non-guilty be entered into the record.
Flores, who was also asked to comment on the charges, said: "I am completely innocent. I am not guilty."
During the hearing, the prosecution proposed postponing the start of the trial by two weeks. Maduro’s lawyer Barry Pollack described the proposed schedule as demanding, given the new charges, but expressed hope that it would be possible to adhere to it.