New York:US authorities have announced new charges against former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, accusing them of conspiracy to commit torture over the alleged abuse of more than a dozen Americans held in Venezuelan government custody.

According to Anadolu Agency, the charges were revealed by FBI Director Kash Patel following an investigation conducted with interagency partners. This indictment adds to existing drug and weapons charges against Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores de Maduro. Specifically, Maduro faces one count of conspiracy to commit torture, while Flores faces both a conspiracy to commit torture charge and a narcoterrorism charge.

The indictment claims that the Maduro government subjected these US citizens to various forms of torture, including the use of drugs, electrocution, and sexual assault. These allegations pertain to US citizens detained in Venezuela during Maduro's rule, including six executives from Citgo, the US-based subsidiary of Venezuela's state oil company. The executives were arrested in 2017 and released in a 2022 prisoner exchange.

The new charges come after a US operation in January led to the arrest of Maduro and Flores in Venezuela, followed by their transfer to the US. Both Maduro and Flores, who had previously faced charges related to alleged drug trafficking and weapons offenses, have pleaded not guilty to all charges. They remain in US custody pending further proceedings.