Judge at the second hearing of President Maduro and Cilia Flores in the US: Right to defense “is paramount”

Published at: 26/03/2026 04:54 PM

This Thursday, in a federal court in New York, the United States (USA), the second hearing against the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, and the first lady Cilia Flores, was held, in which Judge Alvin Hellerstein, 92, stressed that the right of the defendants to have a lawyer of their choice “is paramount” and insisted on the need to find a way out of the financial blockade.

The day was marked by an intense legal debate focused on how and why United States (US) sanctions have prevented the payment of his defense fees, a conflict that lies in whether the president can access funds from the Venezuelan State to guarantee adequate legal assistance in a process that, according to the court itself, goes “ beyond normal” and requires extensive resources.

The hearing, which lasted about 90 minutes, ended without a date being set for the trial.

Judge Hellerstein repeatedly questioned what the solution is, so the prosecution argued that the court has no authority to force the Department of the Treasury to issue a license that allows payments to be channeled, claiming that the restrictions respond to “national security interests.” However, the judge questioned that argument, stating that “any concern regarding national security is no longer relevant”, considering that the defendants are in custody.

Meanwhile, the defense rejected the option of turning to public attorneys and argued that there are remedies available outside the U.S. system . “It doesn't make sense in a case where there is someone other than the American taxpayer willing and able to finance that defense,” argued lawyer Barry Pollack, who stressed that there are no accusations that the origin of the funds is illegal.

The judge insisted on the importance of finding a mechanism to allow the payment of fees, but rejected the request to dismiss the case based on this impediment.

Mazo News Team