Maduro asks US court to toss charges over blocked lawyer fee funds

Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has asked a federal judge to dismiss the criminal charges against him in the United States, claiming that government actions have unfairly blocked funds needed to pay his legal defence.

In court papers filed on February 26, Maduro’s lead attorney, Barry Pollack, said the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has either refused to issue or reversed licences that would allow the Venezuelan government to pay his legal fees. 

Pollack argued this deprives Maduro of the right to counsel of his choice and violates his constitutional rights.

The motion seeks to dismiss indictments, including narco‑terrorism, drug trafficking, and corruption charges, on the grounds that U.S. actions prevent him from affording proper legal representation. Venezuelan law requires Caracas to fund his defence, and officials there are reportedly willing to do so.

A licence briefly granted by OFAC in early January allowed payments from Venezuela, but it was amended hours later to block funding for Maduro’s defence. Pollack has requested that the licence be restored, but says OFAC has not complied.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were detained in New York earlier this year and have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Both remain in custody as the case proceeds.

The defence argues that preventing Caracas from funding legal costs interferes with Maduro’s right to counsel, and any trial held without access to funds for private lawyers would be unfair. If the judge denies the motion, Pollack warned he may seek to withdraw from the case due to financial constraints.

U.S. officials have not publicly responded to the filings, leaving the case unresolved as legal proceedings continue.

By Aghakazim Guliyev