The lawyer for ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that the US government is blocking his access to funds to pay his legal fees, risking leaving him without legal protection, the Spanish news agency EFE reported, quoted by BTA.
In a letter to the court, lawyer Barry Pollack told Judge Alvin Hellerstein that since both Maduro and Venezuela are subject to sanctions by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, a special license is needed to be paid.
Pollack said that although the US had issued a license that would have allowed Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores de Maduro to access Venezuelan funds, they overturned that decision for Maduro three hours ago. later.
„The lawyer explained that the Venezuelan government is obligated to pay Mr. Maduro's fees [...] and Mr. Maduro cannot afford a lawyer otherwise. Accordingly, by not allowing the Venezuelan government to pay Mr. Maduro’s defense costs, the agency is interfering with Mr. Maduro’s ability to hire a lawyer and, therefore, with his Sixth Amendment right to counsel of his own choosing,” Pollack wrote.
He added that if the agency fails to reinstate the license, Maduro will file a formal motion in the coming days, seeking relief from the court.
Henry Rodríguez Facinetti, Venezuela’s attorney, confirmed that Caracas has a “clear and legal obligation to cover all of its president’s expenses, including attorneys’ fees,” and in that regard, he said the government “wants to comply” with the law. and "is ready to pay the costs of the defense," specifying that the money is legitimate.
“I also confirm that the funds that Caracas would use in this matter are not related to any of the activities mentioned in the indictment or to any other illegal activity,” Facinetti added.
Maduro and his wife have been held in New York without bail since they were taken from their home in Venezuela on January 3 by US military forces. Both have pleaded not guilty.