US Treasury Department has blocked Venezuela's government from paying legal fees for deposed leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, according to their attorney. This move, revealed in court documents, potentially violates Maduro's constitutional right to counsel and comes just hours after the Treasury initially approved the payments. Maduro and Flores have been jailed without bail since their January 3rd capture in a US military raid, facing drug trafficking charges that could result in life sentences. Their defense team claims the government cannot afford counsel otherwise.

The dispute over legal fees is deeply intertwined with US foreign policy towards Venezuela. The Trump administration's recognition of opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's legitimate leader in 2019 led to sanctions and severed diplomatic ties. The Biden administration has maintained this stance. By preventing Rodriguez's government from funding Maduro's defense, the US strengthens its hand in shaping Venezuela's political future, particularly regarding oil industry reforms. Rodriguez has already moved swiftly to open Venezuela's oil sector to American investment and release political prisoners under US pressure.

Maduro's defense argues the capture was illegal and that as a foreign head of state, he enjoys immunity from prosecution under US and international law. Prosecutors counter that the indictment details a vast drug trafficking conspiracy involving Maduro and his wife, ordering kidnappings and murders. The blocked legal fees complicate the defense's ability to challenge the prosecution's case, potentially accelerating Maduro's trial and the US administration's influence over Venezuela's next chapter.