Berk Kutay Gokmen
25 April 2026•Update: 25 April 2026
The US has agreed with the Venezuelan government to fund the defense of Nicolas Maduro, bringing an end to a weeks-long legal standoff surrounding the case, NBC News reported on Saturday.
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York said that the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued amended licenses authorizing defense attorneys for Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores de Maduro to be paid by the Venezuelan government.
This development comes after a hearing held a month earlier, during which prosecutors claimed Maduro had “plundered Venezuela’s wealth and should not be able to use its money for legal fees.”
His lawyer, Barry Pollock, responded that the US government was improperly restricting his client’s access to funds for his defense. “He is entitled to use those resources to defend himself,” Pollock said.
In a joint filing submitted late Friday, US Attorney Jay Clayton detailed tight restrictions on the use of such funds, specifying that they must have become accessible after March 5, 2026, and must not originate from restricted foreign government deposit accounts.
Prosecutors argued that the newly granted licenses settle the disagreement that led the defendants to seek dismissal, and the defense has since withdrawn those motions without prejudice.
Both parties request that the court schedule a status conference in about 60 days and suspend the speedy trial clock. They argue that the delay would allow prosecutors to present evidence while giving defense lawyers time to review discovery materials and consider potential pretrial motions.
On Jan. 3, US forces captured Maduro and his wife during a nighttime operation in Caracas, Venezuela's capital. They were transported to New York City and appeared in court two days later on drug trafficking charges. Both have pleaded not guilty.
