Between restrictions and conditions: how the defense financing of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores will work

In a significant development concerning the legal battles faced by Venezuela's leadership abroad, the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has granted a conditional green light for the use of state funds to finance the defense of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores. As El Nacional reports, this decision, communicated via a letter from the Southern District of New York's Prosecutor's Office to Judge Alvin Hellerstein, introduces a complex framework of restrictions. While private legal counsel can now be retained, the funds must originate from resources available only after March 5, 2026, explicitly barring the use of pre-existing assets, including oil revenues held in U.S. accounts or blocked gold reserves. This nuanced authorization, while easing previous hurdles that impeded the duo's access to private lawyers, underscores Washington's continued leverage. The strict conditions demonstrate that despite this flexibility, U.S. sanctions remain a decisive factor shaping Venezuela's financial dealings, particularly within the context of ongoing judicial processes in New York.