Maduro’s second court hearing!
Maduro and his wife defense team requested the case to be dismissed.
New York, Mar 26 (EFE).-
The second court hearing in the legal case against Venezuela’s ousted president, Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026), and his wife, Cilia Flores, concluded on Thursday without judge Alvin Hellerstein ruling on the dispute over payment for their defense attorneys.
The magistrate overseeing the proceedings raised concerns about the United States government freezing Venezuelan funds, which has prevented the defendants from financing their defense.
In February, Flores and Maduro’s defense requested the case to be dismissed after the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) denied the accused a license to pay for their defense using Venezuelan government funds.
Hellerstein, 92, rejected the motion, explaining that it would be too serious a measure.
Assistant US Attorney Kyle Wirshba argued to the judge that the US Government should be able to use sanctions to influence foreign policy or national security, and noted that the sanctions, imposed in 2019, predate the case against Maduro.
The defense alleged that the US Government, through OFAC, revoked the licenses that allowed Venezuelan funds to be used to cover their defense costs, calling it an administrative error that violates the Sixth Amendment of the US Constitution.
“A defendant has no right to spend a third party’s money,” asserted Wirshba.
However, the magistrate responded that, since Maduro and Flores are detained in the United States, “They no longer represent any threat to national security,” and emphasized that things have changed in Venezuela and that the US is already conducting business with the Caribbean country.
Nevertheless, Hellerstein still needs to officially confirm his decision and did not provide a timeline for when he will rule.
Maduro faces four charges from the US Justice Department: three counts of conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism, import cocaine, and possess machine guns and destructive devices; and a fourth count of possessing those weapons.
Flores, meanwhile, is charged with four related counts: two counts of conspiracy to import cocaine, one count of conspiracy to possess weapons, and one count of possessing weapons.
In his first appearance, Maduro pleaded “not guilty” and defined himself as a “prisoner of war.”
As the hearing took place, dozens of demonstrators gathered outside the Southern District of New York Courthouse, where Maduro’s hearing took place. The day was marked by protests both in favor of and against the former president.
In Caracas government supporters also protested the advance of the case against Maduro. EFE
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