Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores wave to their supporters. Photo: File photo.
The US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued licenses allowing the Venezuelan state to pay for the defense of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores in the ongoing US lawfare case against the Venezuelan presidential couple.
“The parties write jointly to advise the Court that the Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued amended licenses to counsel for defendants Nicolás Maduro Moros and Cilia Flores de Maduro. The amended licenses authorize defense counsel to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions,” states the letter addressed to Judge Alvin Hellerstein by the US Department of Justice.
This decision comes after the defense attorneys denounced that the US regime had blocked payment of legal fees under the pretext of restrictions tied to the illegal US sanctions against Venezuela.
In turn, the defense withdrew its previous request to dismiss the case due to lack of financial resources to cover legal services.
The parties also requested that the next hearing be held after two months, without specifying a particular date.
During the last hearing of the trial, the defense argued that the OFAC’s decision to block the Venezuelan government from paying legal fees for President Maduro impeded the full exercise of the right to defense, enshrined in the Sixth Amendment of the US Constitution. On the other hand, the prosecution defended the legality of the restrictions, in a litigation that highlights the contradictions between unilateral coercive measures and judicial guarantees. Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government shows its firm decision to defend an individual it recognizes as its the constitutional president.
The case stems from the US invasion of Venezuela on January 3, when US forces bombed Venezuela and kidnapped President Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, killing more than 100 people in the process.
Maduro and Flores face charges of alleged conspiracy related to drug trafficking and other crimes that, according to legal experts, rest on weak evidentiary foundations. The proceedings unfold amid an imperialist siege marked by economic blockade, diplomatic pressure, and widespread questions about the legality of what many experts describe as a state-sponsored kidnapping.
Various governments and international experts have warned that the case could set a precedent in matters of sovereignty and international law, as for the first time in history, a sitting head of state was abducted through a foreign military operation and placed on trial in a foreign court. These are actions that violate both the principle of head-of-state immunity and fundamental norms of international law.
It is expected that, in the coming weeks, the court will set a date for a new hearing as the case continues to draw international attention.
The text of the letter is reproduced below:
April 24, 2026
BY ECF & EMAIL
The Honorable Alvin K. Hellerstein
United States District Judge
Southern District of New York
500 Pearl Street
New York, New York 10007
Re: United States vs. Maduro Moros and Flores de Maduro, S4 11 Cr. 205 (AKH)
Dear Judge Hellerstein:
The parties write jointly to advise the Court that the Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued amended licenses to counsel for defendants Nicolás Maduro Moros and Cilia Flores de Maduro. The amended licenses authorize defense counsel to receive payments from the Government of Venezuela under certain conditions, including the conditions that (i) the authorized payments are made with funds available to the Government of Venezuela after March 5, 2026; and (ii) the authorized payments are not derived from Foreign Government Deposit Funds as defined in Executive Order 14373 of January 9, 2026.
The Government understands that the amended licenses have resolved the issues underlying the defendants’ motions to dismiss Superseding Indictment S4 11 Cr. 205 (AKH). (See Dkts. 289, 292). The defendants therefore withdraw their motions as moot, without prejudice to refiling them should similar issues arise in the future. The parties further request that the Court schedule a status conference in approximately 60 days and exclude time as to both defendants under the Speedy Trial Act, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3161(h)(7)(A). The Government respectfully submits that the ends of justice served by granting the requested exclusion of time under the Speedy Trial Act outweigh the interests of the public and the defendants in a speedy trial so that the Government can produce discovery, the defense can review discovery, and the defense can consider what pretrial motions it expects to make. Counsel for both defendants have informed the Government that they consent to the foregoing requests.
Respectfully submitted,
JAY CLAYTON
United States Attorney
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/SC/SH
