Maduro appears again before the judge this Thursday while his defense denounces an “illegal” blockade of his funds

The former president of Venezuela will sit before the judge in a process that is expected to be long and tortuousin which his lawyers denounce that a “illegal blocking” of your funds to pay lawyers, which limits him when selecting his defense.

Maduro and Flores, who remain detained in the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) of Brooklyn, in a penitentiary center that already housed the former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandezwill appear before veteran federal judge Alvin Hellerstein, 92.

From a legal point of view, the defense of the deposed Venezuelan leader will have to face accusations on four charges of narcoterrorism and possession of weapons to which they already pleaded “not guilty” in the first hearing held in January.

In the oral hearing this Thursday – initially scheduled for the 17th – it is expected that the validity of the evidence on which the US Department of Justice has substantiated the case, but also defines the lawyers’ lines of defense.

Maduro, in his first appearance, claimed to be a “prisoner of war“, captured by US special forces, while claiming to be “innocent” of the charges.

Flores, for his part, is charged with four other chargestwo of conspiracy to import cocaine, one of conspiracy to possess weapons and another of illegal possession of weapons.

long trial

This hearing will be key to determining whether Judge Hellerstein accepts the requests of the defense and the prosecution or if the procedural calendar continues its course, in a trial that judicial experts consider will not formally begin for one or two years, when this judge would be 94 years old.

The possibility of this being extended has generated some debate in the United Statesespecially after the latest information that has appeared in the American press regarding the judge leading the case.

According to The New York Timesthe magistrate was seen falling asleep during a hearing last yearwhich raises doubts about its ability to conduct a process that is expected to be long and extremely technically complex.

One of the great dilemmas of this process will be knowing if a leader forcibly removed from his country can be tried or if the charges against him outweigh this violation of international legality.

Defense strategy

The defense filed a new motion with the court on Thursday insisting that the narcoterrorism charges be dismissed and directly questioning the US government’s arguments.

The couple’s lawyers Barry Pollacklegal representative of Maduro, and Mark DonnellyFlores’ lawyer, maintain that the blockage of funds imposed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Department of the Treasury, violates the Sixth Amendment of the US Constitution.

Pollack and Donnelly argue that it is “an administrative error“Not allowing them to choose a lawyer of their choice, since the US Executive affirms that he is no longer president, so his defense does not have to be paid for by Venezuelan funds.

However, the defense of Maduro and Flores maintains that it must be paid from the Government of Caracas.

“The Government of Venezuela has the obligation to pay Mr. Maduro’s fees,” Pollack insisted.

Furthermore, the case took a new twist on Monday, when the United States Government, through the prosecutor in charge of the case, Jay Claytonasked Judge Hellerstein for a protection order, or confidentiality, on the evidentiary material so that it is not shared with four other co-defendants, fugitives from US justice.

This is the Minister of the Interior, Diosdado CabelloRamón Rodríguez Chacín, Nicolás Maduro Guerra —son of the president— and Hector Guerrero Floresalias Niño Guerrero and alleged leader of the criminal organization Tren de Aragua.

None of these four Venezuelans, accused of multiple crimes, have ever set foot in a US court and the US Government has argued that “there is a real risk of violence.”

In parallel, they warn that the former president’s entourage could use the information to identify and retaliate against witnesses and their families in Venezuela, with the regime’s methods of repression.

Mature, in top shape

All eyes will be attentive to how the former Venezuelan president is physically feeling after spending almost three months in prison after his capture.

Given this, his son and also a deputy in the Venezuelan Assembly, Maduro Guerra, stated this week through a video recorded in Caracas and published on the social network X, that his father “it’s very nice“, with “a lot of encouragement” and “strength”, despite the conditions in which he finds himself.

The deputy also referred to the situation in which his mother finds herself, Cilia Floreswho was also captured in January, highlighted that she is “firm and alert“.

“We are going to see a thin president, an athlete, who is exercising every day,” said the deputy in a message recorded by the Venezuelan journalist from Telesurhalf akin to the regime Madelein Garcia.