WORLD.- This Thursday the second hearing in the court case against the ousted president of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Floreswhich ended without a decision of the judge about the dispute over the payment of his lawyers.
The magistrate in charge of the process, Alvin Hellersteinexpressed doubts about the freezing of Venezuelan funds by the United States Government, which prevents the accused from financing his defense.
Cilia and Maduro’s defense requested in February to dismiss the case after the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) deny the accused the license to pay for their defense con funds from the Government of Venezuela.
Today Hellerstein, 92, ruled out dismissing the case “because that would be taking too serious a step.”
For his part, the assistant United States attorney, Kyle Wirshbaargued to the judge that the US government should be able to “use sanctions to influence foreign policy or national security.”
Judge does not consider Maduro “a threat to national security”
However, the magistrate responded that, since Maduro and Cilia are detained, “They do not represent any threat to national security.”and stressed that “things have changed in Venezuela” and that the United States already “does business” with the Caribbean country.
Maduro is accused by the US Justice of four charges: three of conspiracy to commit narcoterrorism, importing cocaine and possessing machine guns and destructive devices; and a fourth crime of possession of those weapons.
Cilia Flores, for her part, is accused of four other related charges: two of conspiracy to import cocaine, one of conspiracy to possess weapons and another of weapons possession.
In his first appearance, Maduro pleaded “not guilty” and defined himself as a “prisoner of war.”
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