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At one point near the end of the hearing, Maduro’s defence lawyer, Barry J. Pollack, said his client “is head of a sovereign state and entitled to the privilege” that the status ensures.
Pollack said there were “questions about the legality of his military abduction” and that there would be “voluminous” pretrial filings to address those legal challenges.
It is widely expected that lawyers will contest the legality of Maduro’s arrest on the basis he is immune from prosecution as a sovereign head of a foreign state. The U.S., however, doesn’t recognize him as Venezuela’s legitimate leader.
Pollack noted, without giving specifics, that Maduro has health problems that will require attention, while Flores’s lawyer, Mark Donnelly, also said his client sustained “health and medical issues that will require attention.”
Flores, 69, may have a fracture or severe bruising on her ribs and may need a full X-ray, Donnelly said.
Both Maduro and Flores agreed to remain detained for now, though their lawyers could revisit a bail application at a later date.
The next court date was set for March 17.
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