Nicolás Maduro faces Manhattan court as legal funding dispute stalls trial

Nicolás Maduro, the toppled president of Venezuela, appeared in a Manhattan courtroom on Thursday, 26 March 2026, for a hearing focused on a significant legal impasse.

Since being seized by U.S. military forces in Caracas eighty-two days ago, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have remained in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Centre.

The current proceedings, overseen by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, are stalled over a dispute regarding how the defendants will pay their legal team.

Although the Venezuelan government has offered to cover these costs, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has refused to issue a sanctions waiver.

Lead prosecutor Kyle Wirshba argued that the payments are being withheld for "national security and foreign policy" reasons.

However, the 92-year-old Judge Hellerstein expressed visible annoyance at this stance, noting that since the defendants are already incarcerated, "They present no national security threat."

Maduro’s lead attorney, Barry Pollack, warned that without access to these funds, the "voluminous" motions required to challenge the legality of the couple's detention cannot proceed.

Pollack suggested the only remedy would be to "dismiss the case" and allow Maduro to walk free. While Hellerstein declined to dismiss the charges immediately, he described the case as "unique" and scheduled a follow-up hearing to resolve the funding crisis.

The Department of Justice originally indicted the couple for narco-terrorism and cocaine importation, alleging a decades-long conspiracy involving Colombian terrorist organisations.

This landmark case follows years of escalating tensions and strict U.S. sanctions aimed at the Maduro administration's grip on power.