Analysis-Maduro’s immunity claim tests US power to prosecute foreign leaders

Venezuela's captured President Nicolas Maduro attends his arraignment to face U.S. federal charges including narco-terrorism, conspiracy, drug trafficking, money laundering and others, at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., January 5, 2026 in this courtroom sketch. REUTERS/Jane Rosenberg

Jan 6 (Reuters) - Nicolás Maduro’s first appearance in a ‌U.S. courtroom offered a glimpse of the legal battle ahead over rarely tested questions — chief among them whether he can claim immunity from prosecution.

Maduro, who pleaded ‌not guilty to narco-terrorism and cocaine charges on Monday, defiantly claimed that he remained the president of Venezuela -- setting up a showdown over the legal ‌protections customarily given to heads of state.