U.S. federal judge rejects petition of Chavez's former nurse and continues trial against her

A judge denied on Tuesday a motion by Venezuela's former treasurer, Claudia Patricia Diaz Guillen, known as the "nurse" of the late President Hugo Chavez, seeking to have three counts of money laundering dismissed against her in a U.S. District Court in the Southern District of Florida. 

Judge William Dimitrouleas denied Diaz's request in a 15-minute hearing held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "The motion is denied with prejudice to renew," was the court's response to attorney Marissel Descalzo's request, the Associated Press reports.

Chavez's "nurse" has been under arrest since last May in prison in West Palm Beach, South Florida, and will face trial on October 17.

Descalzo had argued that the U.S. government "lacks extraterritorial jurisdiction" and that the laws "have only domestic application" based on a principle that "stems from the risk of 'unwanted clashes between our laws and those of other nations that could result in international discord.'"

Diaz, who also has Spanish citizenship, is charged with one count of "conspiracy to commit money laundering" and two counts of "money laundering."

In the same case of Díaz, extradited from Spain to the United States on May 12, Raúl Gorrín Belisario, owner and president of the Venezuelan channel Globovisión, is accused.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, Gorrín, a fugitive from U.S. justice, paid millions of dollars in bribes to the two former Venezuelan treasurers, Claudia Patricia Díaz Guillén and Alejandro Andrade Cedeño, to secure the rights to carry out foreign currency exchange transactions at favorable rates.

On May 24, the defendant pleaded not guilty before Judge William Matthewman at the West Palm Beach Courthouse.

Matthewman ruled on June 1 against Diaz's bail after the prosecution warned of a possible danger of flight.