Barry Pollack, lead attorney for the ousted Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, has informed a New York court that the U.S. Department of the Treasury has blocked a license that would allow the Venezuelan government to pay for his defense. In a letter to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, who presides over the U.S. case against Maduro, dated February 20 but made public this Wednesday, Pollack explains that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is «interfering» with his client’s right to defense. On January 9, OFAC granted a license permitting Maduro’s defense team to receive funds from Caracas, but three hours later, it «amended» the license without explanation, according to Pollack’s letter.
Pollack asserts that the amended license does not allow for the receipt of funds from the Venezuelan government to cover defense costs. He emphasizes that he has requested OFAC to restore the original license and argues that the Venezuelan government is obligated to pay the attorney fees, insisting that Maduro has a «legitimate expectation» that Caracas will fulfill this obligation and that he «cannot afford to hire a lawyer otherwise.»
The attorney has also communicated his request to federal prosecutors. He notes that on February 11, he asked OFAC to reinstate the original license allowing for Maduro’s defense payment, but the agency «has not acted» despite having issued commercial licenses related to Venezuela recently. Pollack has indicated that he is currently only informing the judge of the situation, but if OFAC does not restore the license or denies the request, he will file «a formal motion seeking relief,» which would involve a «schedule» of written submissions.
Moreover, he recalls that during the initial hearing on January 5, the judge requested that the prosecution and defense coordinate on the issue of OFAC licenses to ensure lawyers can adequately represent their clients. The license issue affects only Maduro, who faces charges of drug trafficking and corruption, and not his wife, Cilia Flores, who is accused of similar crimes. Maduro, who has pleaded not guilty to the charges, is scheduled for his next court hearing on March 26.
In a related context, the European Union is under pressure to signal progress in Venezuela’s political landscape, as Spain plans to request the EU to lift sanctions on Delcy Rodríguez following the amnesty in the country. «Sanctions are never an end, but a means to achieve dialogue and a peaceful democratic process in Venezuela,» the statement reads, emphasizing the importance of moving forward in this new phase.