The former narco-terrorist dictator Nicolás Maduro ran out of money to finance his legal defense due to the current United States sanctions against Venezuela, which prevent funds from the chavista regime from arriving.
The complaint was filed by the American attorney Barry J. Pollack through a letter addressed to federal judge Alvin K. Hellerstein, dated February 20. In that document, the lawyer argued that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is obstructing his client's defense, former dictator Maduro, by not authorizing the Venezuelan dictatorship to cover the legal costs.
According to Pollack, Venezuelan legislation establishes that the state must pay the defense expenses of both Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, because both are still considered "head of state" and "first lady," respectively, despite having been arrested on January 3 in a United States military operation. Subsequently, they were transferred to New York, where they face criminal charges related to terrorism, drug trafficking and firearms.
The attorney explained that, due to the sanctions imposed against Venezuela, the Venezuelan regime needs special authorization to make payments, which it did not obtain. He also stated that his country has the obligation to finance Maduro's fees, and that otherwise the former dictator can't pay for a lawyer.
