Maduro to face justice for his crimes – U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, commenting on reports from Venezuela following the announcement of President Nicolás Maduro’s capture, said that “the tyrant will finally face justice for his crimes.”
He made the statement on the social media platform X, Ukrinform reports.
“A new dawn for Venezuela! The tyrant is gone. He will now – finally – face justice for his crimes,” Landau wrote.
Similarly, Republican Senator Mike Lee, commenting on recent reports from Venezuela on X, said that President Nicolás Maduro will face U.S. criminal charges.
In his post, Lee noted that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a phone call, discussed the U.S. strike on Venezuela and Maduro’s arrest.
“He (Rubio) informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant,” Lee wrote.
He added that Rubio does not expect further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in custody.
Rubio himself has not yet commented on the U.S. special operation.
According to The New York Times, in 2020 Nicolás Maduro was charged in the U.S. with corruption and drug trafficking, and the State Department announced a $50 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction. The charges were filed in the Southern District of New York.
Announcing Maduro’s arrest, President Trump said it was carried out in coordination with U.S. law enforcement agencies.
As Ukrinform previously reported, explosions were heard in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, on Saturday morning, and some areas of the city were left without electricity. Maduro’s government declared a state of emergency.
The strikes followed months of threats and warnings from U.S. President Donald Trump, who had said he would act if Venezuela did not stop ships transporting drugs to the United States. The U.S. did not recognize Maduro as the legitimate president after Venezuela’s last elections in July 2024. The Venezuelan opposition recognizes Edmundo González as the lawful president.
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