The hearing opened with the defense and prosecution arguing over whether Maduro should be allowed to use Venezuelan government funds to pay for his defense. The defense has insisted that the U.S. is violating the deposed leader’s constitutional rights by blocking government money from being used for his legal costs.
Maduro lawyer Barry Pollack contended that if Maduro got public defenders, investigating and preparing his case would sap legal resources meant for people who can’t afford their own attorneys, and that doesn’t make sense in “a case where you have someone other than the U.S. taxpayer standing ready, willing and able to fund that defense.”
Prosecutor Kyle Wirshba argued against letting Maduro use Venezuelan government funds.
“This is a unique case that has not come before the judiciary before,” he said, casting it as an issue of the U.S. government’s ability to use sanctions to advance national security and foreign policy interests.
Thursday’s hearing is the first time Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been in court since a January arraignment at which he protested their capture by U.S. military forces and declared: “I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the constitutional president of my country.” Flores has also pleaded not guilty.
Maduro and Flores sat at the defense table between their lawyers, wearing jail uniforms and headphones to listen to the translation.
They are also accused of ordering kidnappings, beatings and murders of those who owed them drug money or undermined their trafficking operation. That included the killing of a drug boss in Caracas, the indictment said. If convicted, they face life in prison.
Both have remained jailed at a Brooklyn detention center, and neither has asked to be released on bail. Judge Alvin Hellerstein has yet to set a trial date, though that could happen at the hearing.
Groups of demonstrators gathered outside the courthouse to rally both in favor of and against Maduro. In a noisy scene, protesters and supporters chanted, blew horns and beat drums and cowbells. Among the anti-Maduro contingent, one person waved a sign reading “Maduro rot in prison.” On the other side of a metal barrier, people held signs reading “Free President Maduro.”
Post-Maduro, everyday life for most Venezuelans remains the same.
Many public sector employees earn just about $160 per month, while the average private sector worker makes about $237. Last year the annual inflation rate soared to 475%, according to Venezuela’s central bank, putting the cost of food and other essentials beyond the reach of many.
