NEW YORK, October 9. /TASS/. The US District Court for the Southern District of New York rejected a plea for house arrest filed by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s wife, Cilia Flores, the CBS News television reported.

The judge motivated his decision by the seriousness of charges against her and alleged solid evidence to prove them, the report says.

In September, Flores’s defense team filed a request to release her from pretrial custody before the start of hearings in merit, scheduled for July. They cited health issues as a reason. According to an Associated Press report, her lawyers informed the court that Flores possibly had a heart attack in July. She also lost 11 kilograms while in custody.

On January 3, the United States attacked civilian and military sites in Venezuela, captured Maduro and his wife, and took them out of the country. Maduro and Flores appeared before the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on January 5. US authorities charged them with involvement in drug trafficking, but both pleaded not guilty. Delcy Rodriguez, who served as Venezuela’s executive vice president under Maduro, is currently serving as the country’s interim president.