The legal defense of Nicolas Maduro became tense again after the rejection of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to grant the license that would allow Venezuela to finance its lawyer in the United States.
Given this refusal, the former president asked dismiss the accusation of drug trafficking and corruption against himarguing that the blockade interferes with their constitutional right to choose legal representation.
You may also be interested in: Nicolás Maduro’s second hearing in the US will be on March 26
In a motion, his Attorney Barry Pollack maintained that the OFAC prevents the use of funds “uncontaminated” coming from the Venezuelan government, despite the fact that Washington authorizes multiple transactions with Caracas. He alleges that any trial under these conditions would be “unconstitutionally flawed.” Pollack also warned that if the court does not accept the request, he will ask to withdraw from the case.
Maduro stated in a sworn statement that he cannot afford his defense and that he hoped Venezuela would cover the feesas he did for his first hearing on January 5. The Venezuelan government lawyer, Henry Rodriguez Facchinettireiterated that Caracas has the obligation to pay the expenses of its deposed president and confirmed that the funds allocated to defense are legitimate.
You may also be interested in: Petro asks the US to return Nicolás Maduro for trial in Venezuela
The dispute occurs while the interim president, Delcy Rodriguezdrives a rapprochement agenda with the US. I have asked Donald Trump the end of sanctions and the oil embargo, in force since 2019, and has received senior US officials to mend ties.
Although the Treasury made some operations more flexible, the restrictions continue to condition the Venezuelan political and judicial process.
Leave a Reply