Slimmer and healthier looking. This is how those present at the third hearing against Nicolás Maduro described the Venezuelan president when he appeared before a judge.
The hearing, which took place in a federal court in New York, lasted approximately 18 minutes, during which Judge Alvin Hellerstein, 91, preliminarily set the start of the trial against Maduro for June 2027.
But what caught attention, according to those present, was how Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrived, since they stated that both looked different from how they appeared at the first hearing, after being detained in Venezuela.
In the case of Maduro, attendees stated that he arrived thinner, but with a healthier appearance. Always with his characteristic mustache.
It was also curious that Maduro walked towards the audience, a considerable difference compared to other processes in which he was observed to limp.
During the 18 minutes that the hearing lasted, Nicolás Maduro repeatedly touched the headset he was wearing while following the session in the company of his lawyers.
On the other hand, Cilia Flores also showed a healthier appearance. She was wearing sunglasses, a ponytail, and the same prison uniform as her husband.
Maduro greeted before entering the room and continued the hearing together with his lawyers. At the end of the session, he spoke with his defense before leaving the court.
Before the hearing, the Prosecutor’s Office and the defense jointly presented a brief in which they proposed to the magistrate a calendar with two rounds of pre-trial motions and placed the start of the process in June 2027, a schedule that the judge accepted.