Apr 26, Kathmandu - The United States has agreed to relax sanctions to permit the Venezuelan government to pay legal defense fees for former President Nicolás Maduro. 

Maduro is currently facing charges of drug trafficking in a federal court in New York. His lawyers had previously filed a motion to lift restrictions, claiming that Maduro was being deprived of his right to choose legal counsel.

U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein in Manhattan questioned whether the restrictions preventing Maduro from paying legal fees violated his constitutional rights.

Officials from the U.S. Department of Justice have also agreed to modify the sanctions, allowing the Venezuelan government to cover Maduro’s legal expenses. With this development, the previous requests for case dismissal are now considered moot.

In January this year, U.S. forces detained Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in Venezuela. Legal experts condemned this as a blatant violation of international law and an act of kidnapping.

Under international law, sitting heads of state are entitled to immunity from foreign courts. However, the Trump administration did not recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s legitimate leader and deemed the military operation justified.

Maduro has dismissed the charges against him as false and accused the U.S. of using them as a pretext to seize Venezuela’s natural resources.

This case has highlighted the tension between the constitutional rights of foreign nationals within the U.S. legal system and the foreign policy stance of the U.S. government.