NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — The United States (US) will allow Venezuela to pay for Nicolas Maduro’s legal defence, a court filing showed, lifting a roadblock on the ousted leader’s trial on drug and other charges in New York.

US Treasury sanctions on Venezuela had previously blocked Venezuela — now ruled by Maduro’s deputy — from sending funds to pay for attorneys to represent the leftist strongman and his wife.

Both were snatched by US forces in an overnight raid in early January and flown to New York to face federal criminal charges.

The Maduros’ defence had sought to have their cases dismissed on grounds that blocking the funding violated the US Constitution’s right to counsel of one’s choice.

A court filing on Friday by the US prosecutor in New York said the Treasury’s “Office of Foreign Assets Control has issued amended licenses to counsel for defendants” that authorise them to “receive payments from the Government of Venezuela”.

The funds must have been made available after March 5, 2026, and cannot come from Venezuela’s US-regulated oil sales.

Since removing Maduro in early January, the United States has effectively controlled the export of Venezuelan oil, with the funds going into special accounts overseen by Washington.

According to the Friday filing, the defence acknowledges the sanctions waiver and is lifting its motion to dismiss the charges, for now.

Maduro has declared himself a “prisoner of war” and pleaded not guilty to the four counts he faces: “narco-terrorism” conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.