The U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a license permitting the government of Venezuela to fund the legal defense of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in a criminal case being heard in the Southern District of New York. Previously, the defendants' lawyers had filed a motion to dismiss the case, citing lack of funds to pay for legal services; however, after OFAC's intervention that argument lost force — the parties have now agreed to hold the next hearing within two months. This decision became an important turning point in the trial, as it removed one of the key obstacles to continuing the proceedings and restored full legal support for the high-ranking Venezuelan officials.
Full version: OFAC permitirá al Gobierno venezolano pagar defensa del presidente Maduro y primera dama Cilia Flores (+Comunicado)