Former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro returned to a New York courtroom Thursday as he seeks dismissal of a U.S. drug‑trafficking indictment and presses a dispute over who should pay his legal bills. His attorney contends that U.S. restrictions on using Venezuelan government funds to hire counsel violate Maduro’s constitutional rights.
The hearing is the first in person appearance for Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, since their January arraignment. At that earlier proceeding, Maduro denied U.S. custody claims and maintained his innocence; Flores has also pleaded not guilty. Both remain detained at a Brooklyn facility and have not sought bail. Judge Alvin Hellerstein has not yet set a trial date, an issue that could be addressed at the session.
Maduro, 63, and Flores, 69, still have visible support inside Venezuela, with murals and billboards calling for their return. But political power has been shifting: although Maduro’s party still controls many institutions, acting President Delcy Rodríguez has increasingly sidelined Maduro, replacing senior officials loyal to him — including the defense minister and attorney general — reorganizing agencies, naming ambassadors and rolling back elements of the long-standing socialist movement. State television programming has also been shortened and refocused under Rodríguez.
Diplomatic relations with the United States have been partially restored after Washington cut ties in 2019 and recognized an opposition leader as interim head of state. The U.S. has since eased some oil-sector sanctions and sent a chargé d’affaires to Caracas.
The legal-fees dispute remains unresolved. In court filings last month, Maduro’s lawyer Barry Pollack said the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control briefly authorized Venezuela to pay for Maduro’s legal representation on Jan. 9 but withdrew that approval within hours without explanation. Maduro has argued he is entitled to have the Venezuelan government cover his defense. Prosecutors say Maduro and Flores may use personal funds to hire attorneys but cannot tap a fund controlled by a sanctioned government. Maduro says he cannot afford private counsel and would have to demonstrate indigence to receive a lawyer at taxpayer expense.
Maduro and Flores were taken in a predawn raid on their Caracas home on Jan. 3. A 25‑page indictment accuses them and others of conspiring with drug cartels and members of the military to facilitate shipments of thousands of tons of cocaine to the United States, and alleges involvement in kidnappings, beatings and killings, including the slaying of a drug boss in Caracas. If convicted, they face the possibility of life sentences.
For many Venezuelans, daily conditions have changed little since Maduro’s ouster: public‑sector wages hover around $160 per month and average private wages about $237. Venezuela’s central bank reported annual inflation of 475 percent last year, a surge that has pushed food and basic goods beyond the reach of many households.
