Nicolas Maduro Seeks Dismissal of U.S. Drug Charges

NEW YORK – Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is back in a Manhattan courtroom as his legal team pushes to have serious U.S. charges dismissed.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have both pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and narcoterrorism charges and remain jailed in Brooklyn awaiting trial. 

At the center of the latest hearing a dispute over money.

Defense attorneys argue U.S. sanctions are blocking Maduro from accessing Venezuelan state funds to pay for his legal team violating his constitutional right to choose his own counsel. 

But prosecutors say those restrictions are tied to national security and foreign policy concerns.

A federal judge has questioned the funding restrictions but has not agreed to dismiss the case allowing the prosecution to move forward for now. 

The high-profile case which stems from a long-running U.S. indictment accusing Maduro of leading a cocaine trafficking network could test how far U.S. courts can go in prosecuting foreign leaders.