Venezuelan deputy faces trial for drone ‘hit’ attempt on Maduro
A V ENEZUEL AN politician accused of an attempt to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro using exploding drones will face tria l af ter a court on Monday accepted charges against him, his law yer said.
Opposition law maker Juan Requesens faces 30 years in prison if found guilt y of t he bra zen attempt to k ill Maduro as he attended a militar y parade in downtown Caracas on August 4 last year.
Two drones packed with explosives flew towards President Maduro, causing panic among soldiers and civilians when they detonated during his speech.
“The accusation against Juan Requesens was accepted in its entirety . . . and consequently we are going to go to oral and public trial,” lawyer Joel Garcia said after leaving a lengthy hearing.
Imprisoned since August 7, the lawmaker faces two charges of attempted murder and five others for “possession of a firearm, terrorism, treason, conspiracy to commit a crime and public incitement,” Garcia said.
Requesens – who will remain i n custody while t he tria l is heard – “pleads not guilt y” to t he a llegations that could lead to a sentence of 30 years in prison if found guilt y, said t he law yer, who added there had been i rreg ularities and continuous procedural delays.
Maduro’s socia list government says ret ired soldier Juan Monasterios has confessed to participating in the attack and has broadcast v ideos of Requesens appearing to admit to helping him enter the countr y from Colombia.
According to Venezuelan authorities, Requesens and Monasterios were acting at the request of Julio Borges, an exiled deputy who used to be the speaker of the oppositioncontrolled legislature.
But Borges, now in Bogota, has branded the attack a “farce” and maintains that the “confessions” were made with Requesens under threat, torture or drugs.
There is no mention in the recordings that Requesens was aware that the entry of Monasterios was linked to a plot to assassinate Maduro.
On top of the fraught political situation, Venezuela is grappling with its mostsevere economic crisis in recent history, with the country in the grip of power cuts and shortages of basic goods and medicines.
According to the UN, more than seven million Venezuelans – a quarter of the countr y’s population – need emergency humanitarian aid.