Maduro, Celia Flores allowed to use Venezuelan government funds for attorneys, ending legal standoff
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Celia Flores will be allowed to use funds from the Venezuelan government to pay their attorneys, resolving a monthlong dispute over legal financing under U.S. sanctions.
In a joint filing submitted Friday night, federal prosecutors and defense attorneys informed the court that the Department of the Treasury would amend a sanctions license to permit payments to the couple’s lawyers without violating existing restrictions. The arrangement includes strict conditions, including that any funds used must have become available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from restricted foreign government deposit accounts. Prosecutors said the updated authorization resolves the funding dispute that had prompted the defense to seek dismissal of the case, and the defense has since withdrawn those motions without prejudice.
The legal battle stemmed from sanctions imposed on Maduro, Flores, and Venezuela that blocked access to government-held funds. In March, Maduro’s attorney argued the charges should be dismissed because the couple could not afford legal representation under the sanctions regime. Prosecutors countered that the defendants could rely on personal assets, but the defense said they had none available. The judge declined to dismiss the case but raised concerns about the impact of sanctions on the defendants’ ability to mount a defense, stating that the right to defend oneself remains paramount.
Maduro and Flores were taken into custody by U.S. authorities in early January and transported to New York, where they face federal charges related to drug trafficking and weapons offenses. Since then, Maduro has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while the case proceeds.
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