NEW YORK: Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is spending his time in a New York prison reading religious and philosophical texts, including the Quran and the Bible, according to a report by The New York Times.
The report says Maduro has also met with religious figures from different faiths, including a Christian pastor and a Jewish rabbi, while being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. The newspaper cited several sources familiar with conditions inside the facility and Maduro’s experiences in custody.
According to the report, Maduro’s interest in spirituality and religious matters is not new. However, his engagement with religious subjects has reportedly intensified since his incarceration. He also regularly discusses religious issues with prison staff and chaplains.
Maduro has previously spoken about his Jewish ancestry, claiming that his forefathers were Sephardic Jews who migrated to Venezuela from the Dutch Antilles. However, according to people close to him, he had shown no particular interest in Judaism before his arrest.
The report further notes that religion played a role in Maduro’s political career. He sought to gain support among Venezuela’s growing Evangelical Christian population and, at one point, maintained a close relationship with a Catholic priest.
The New York Times also reported that Maduro, his wife Cilia Flores, and his successor Delcy Rodríguez were followers of the late Indian spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba.
Maduro is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which houses approximately 1,300 inmates. The section where he is detained has previously accommodated several high-profile inmates, including Sam Bankman-Fried and Luigi Mangione.
According to the report, Maduro is scheduled to face trial in the United States next year on multiple charges, including conspiring to traffic thousands of tons of cocaine into the country. His wife, Cilia Flores, is also facing charges under the same indictment.
