Venezuelans in one of many massive Chavista demonstrations demanding the release of President Nicolás Maduro. Photo: Boris Vergara/EFE/File photo.
The US empire has continued to block Venezuela’s payments of the legal fees for President Nicolás Maduro, who was kidnapped by the US entity on January 3 and has been held in a federal US prison in New York since then, according to his lawyer and various international reports.
President Maduro’s legal defense faces serious difficulties because the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), belonging to the US Treasury Department, revoked—without explanation—authorization for the Venezuelan government to pay the fees of its lead lawyer, Barry Pollack, even though it had initially issued a license on January 9.
Less than three hours after granting it, OFAC amended it, no longer allowing Caracas to finance President Maduro’s defense.
Pollack argued before a federal judge in Manhattan that this decision prevents President Maduro from hiring and paying his lawyers with Venezuelan funds, which could constitute a direct interference with his right under the Sixth Amendment of the US Constitution to have a lawyer of his choosing.
The lawyer explained that, under the law and practice of his country, “the government of Venezuela has the obligation to pay Maduro’s fees,” and that the Venezuelan leader cannot finance this representation himself.
The situation arises in the context of a federal case in which Deputy Cilia Flores and President Maduro have pleaded not guilty before a New York court to drug trafficking and other charges that analysts explain were used as an excuse for their kidnapping by the forces of US imperialism.
The revocation of the license to fund the defense has generated a legal and constitutional debate, because OFAC maintains a separate license that does authorize the payment of fees for Cilia Flores’ lawyers.
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The blocking of state funding for President Maduro’s defense is part of a broader pattern of illegal economic sanctions and financial restrictions imposed by the White House against Venezuelan officials and the Chavista government, including measures on assets and international transactions.
Both Cilia Flores and President Maduro are scheduled for a new court hearing on March 26. The defense has asked the court to intervene to reinstate the payment authorization or to judicially recognize the Venezuelan state’s obligation to cover the costs of its leader’s defense, amidst a controversy involving foreign policy, illegal sanctions, and fundamental procedural rights.
(Telesur)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
