NYT: US allows Venezuela to fund Maduro’s legal defence

The United States has authorised Venezuela to use state funds to pay legal fees for detained President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to The New York Times.

In a letter filed with a federal court in Manhattan, the US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, said the Treasury Department had issued amended licences allowing defence lawyers representing Maduro and Flores to receive payments from the Venezuelan government.

Washington had previously prohibited such payments, arguing they could undermine sanctions imposed on Venezuela.

Maduro faces charges related to alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine trafficking, while Flores is accused of involvement in drug smuggling offences.