Overview
- Federal prosecutors told the judge Friday that the Treasury’s sanctions office issued amended licenses that let Venezuela pay the defense teams for Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.
- The licenses allow payments only from money available after March 5, 2026 and forbid using restricted foreign‑deposit or U.S.-controlled oil revenue accounts.
- The defense withdrew motions to dismiss after arguing the earlier funding block violated the Sixth Amendment right to choose and pay lawyers.
- Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein had questioned the government’s position at a March hearing, noting the defendants have been in U.S. custody in Brooklyn since their January 3 capture in Caracas.
- The criminal charges and broader U.S. sanctions remain intact, and the case is expected to move toward trial in about one to two years in the Southern District of New York.