Politics
US charge sheet against Venezuelan president, first lady comes to light
Geo News has obtained the charge sheet filed by the United States Department of Justice against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on the basis of which both are scheduled to appear on Monday before a federal court in New York.
The charge sheet has been filed in the records of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and is described as a superseding indictment, meaning it expands upon and strengthens previously filed charges.
According to the charge sheet received by Geo News, US prosecutors allege that Nicolas Maduro used his official position to protect and oversee a vast drug trafficking network and, over several years, facilitated the shipment of large quantities of cocaine into the United States.
The indictment states that these activities went beyond conventional drug smuggling and fall under the category of narco-terrorism as defined by US law.
The document further alleges that Maduro and his close associates cooperated with armed groups during the course of drug trafficking operations and conspired to possess and use sophisticated weapons, including machine guns and other destructive devices, to advance these activities.
According to the charge sheet, the allegations fall under serious federal statutes, including narco-terrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine, and illegal possession of weapons.
The indictment also names Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, alleging that she was aware of these activities and, in certain instances, was involved in providing financial and administrative facilitation. US prosecutors contend that the network remained active for years, with the dual purpose of generating profits through narcotics trafficking and causing harm to US interests.
Legal experts say that if even one of these charges is proven in court, US federal law allows for the possibility of lengthy prison sentences for Maduro and his wife, potentially including life imprisonment. Any final sentence, however, would be determined by the court based on the evidence presented, the verdict of a jury, and the federal sentencing process.
Maduro to appear in US court
Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Maduro is set to appear on Monday in a federal court in Manhattan that operates within the same judicial district where the case of Pakistan-born neuroscientist Dr Aafia Siddiqui was tried and where she was sentenced in 2010.
Dr Siddiqui’s case was heard under the jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, a court that continues to rank among the most powerful and influential federal judicial forums in the United States.
The court’s historical pedigree is as striking as its contemporary reach. According to the Southern District of New York’s official judicial history, the first federal court session in New York convened in November 1789.
That early foundation evolved over time into what is now the Southern District of New York. Because of its age, prominence, and the gravity of the cases it handles, the court is often referred to informally within the American legal system as the “mother court.”
According to court records and the charge sheet available to Geo News, the central questions now facing the proceedings are the nature of the allegations against President Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and the penalties they could face if those charges are proven in court.
The Southern District of New York has long been the venue for some of the world’s most consequential criminal trials. In the same Manhattan federal court, Bernard Madoff was sentenced on June 29, 2009, to 150 years in prison for orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history.
Under the same judicial framework, Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced in March 2024 to 25 years in prison in connection with major financial fraud charges. Ghislaine Maxwell received a 20-year sentence for her role in conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein in the sexual exploitation of underage girls. The court also heard the case of Martha Stewart, who was sentenced in July 2004 to five months in prison.
GENEVA: The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said that killings such as the reported death of Ali Khamenei raise serious concerns under international human rights law.
Speaking to reporters, Turk said that from a human rights perspective, any form of killing is unacceptable.
“From a human rights perspective, any killing of anyone is not in the interest of international human rights law,” he said.
Strike on Girls’ School Raises Concern
Turk also addressed reports of a strike on a girls’ school in Minab, a city in southern Iran, during the first day of US and Israeli attacks.
Iran’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Ali Bahreini, claimed that the attack killed around 150 students, although the figure has not been independently verified.
The UN rights chief stressed that schools are civilian institutions and should never be targeted during armed conflicts.
Call for Independent Investigation
Turk called for an impartial investigation into the incident to determine the circumstances surrounding the strike, including the type of weapon used and the timing of the attack.
He said responsibility now lies with those who carried out the strikes to ensure a transparent inquiry.
Meanwhile, US officials told media that military investigators are examining the possibility that American forces were responsible, though the investigation has not yet reached a final conclusion.
The incident has intensified international concern about civilian casualties and humanitarian law violations as the conflict in the region continues to escalate.
WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department published additional FBI documents describing interviews with a woman who said President Donald Trump sexually assaulted her after she was introduced to him by Jeffrey Epstein.
The documents had not been made public under previous congressionally-mandated file releases related to the late convicted sex offender because they were mistakenly marked “duplicative,” the department said.
Democrats are investigating the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein files.
The documents released include descriptions of multiple 2019 interviews the FBI held with the woman, who alleged she was assaulted by both Epstein and Trump while she was between 13 and 15 years old.
In one interview, the woman said Epstein took her to “either New York or New Jersey” and introduced her to Trump.
The woman said she and people close to her received threatening calls over the years demanding she keep quiet that she believed were related to Epstein.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing related to the Epstein allegations, and the Justice Department previously said some of the documents it has released “contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump.”
Democrats have accused the Trump administration of covering up details of the Epstein investigation that could negatively impact Trump.
On Wednesday, a House committee voted to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to answer questions about the Justice Department´s handling of the documents.
- Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet crashes during training.
- Jet went missing after taking off from Jorhat airbase.
- Dead pilots identified as Sq Ldr Anuj, Flight Lieutenant Duragkar.
Two pilots from the Indian Air Force (IAF) were killed after a Sukhoi Su-30MKI fighter jet crashed in India’s northeastern state of Assam, NDTV reported, citing officials.
The Indian Air Force said on Friday that a fighter jet, which was on a training mission, crashed in the northeast Indian state of Assam.
“The Su-30MKI, which was on a training mission, crashed in the area of Karbi Anglong, Assam, approx 60 km from Jorhat,” the Indian Air Force said on X.
The aircraft had gone missing shortly after taking off from the Jorhat airbase. Communication with the Russian-origin fighter jet was lost at 7:42pm, according to officials.
The crash occurred in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district, around 60 kilometres from the airbase. The aircraft reportedly went down in a remote hilly area.
The IAF identified the deceased pilots as Squadron Leader Anuj and Flight Lieutenant Purvesh Duragkar.
“All personnel of the IAF express sincere condolences, and stand firmly with the bereaved family in this time of grief,” the Air Force said in a post on X.
Local residents in the area said they heard a loud explosion from a nearby hill and saw a ball of fire shortly afterwards.
India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of the two pilots in the “tragic” crash.
The Sukhoi Su-30MKI is a two-seater, long-range fighter aircraft developed by Russian manufacturer Sukhoi. It is produced under licence in India by state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) for the IAF.
The aircraft was first inducted into the Indian Air Force in 1997, and the service currently operates a fleet of more than 260 Su-30MKI jets.
Similar incidents have occurred in recent years. A Sukhoi fighter jet crashed in Nashik, Maharashtra, in June 2024, while another Su-30 aircraft crashed in January 2023 shortly after taking off from the Gwalior airbase in Madhya Pradesh.
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