Venezuela’s Maduro and his wife pleads not guilty, Maduro said he was kidnapped and still the president of his country.

New York: Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of cocaine
and other terrorism, on Monday in a New York court, two days after being snatched by US
forces in a raid on his home in Caracas.
On Saturday, commandos executed a helicopter-borne operation, with fighter jets and
naval assets providing aerial and maritime support, to capture the Maduro.
Maduro, 63, faces Narco-crime charges along with his wife, Cilia Flores.
He told a federal judge in Manhattan that he had been “kidnapped” from his home
Caracas and said “I’m innocent, I’m not guilty,” and Maduro also said “I’m still the
president of my country.”
Monday morning, Maduro was accompanied to a courthouse under tight security by heavily
armed law enforcement officers, New York.
Maduro’s wife Cilia Flores likewise pleaded not guilty in the appearance of court. The judge
ordered both of them remain in New York jail with next hearing slated for March 17.
President Donald Trump declared in the announcements that the US would now “run”
Venezuela with an eyes to rebuilding and controlling its huge and decrepit industry.
UN secretary, General Antonio Gutters said in the meeting of UN Security Council that
there should be “there should respect for the principles of sovereignty, political
independence and territorial integrity”.
Trump voices interest in oil reserves
When asked what he needs from interim leader Rodriguez, Trump said: “We need total
access. We need access to the oil and other things in their country that allow us to
rebuild their country.”
Venezuela holds the world’s largest proven oil reserves, and an increased flow of its crude
into global markets could deepen oversupply fears and intensify downward pressure on
prices.
Neil Shearing, group chief economist at Capital Economics, said there are “an enormous
number of hurdles to overcome and the timeframe of what is going to happen is so
long” that oil prices in 2026 would likely see little change.
The former chief executive of BP, Lord Browne, told the BBC that reviving Venezuela’s oil
industry was a “very long term project”.
“People underestimate the time it takes to do things. Marshalling all the resources,
the material and people in particular, takes a very long time.”