US to allow Venezuela to pay for Nicolás Maduro and his wife's defense in drug trafficking case

The United States has agreed to ease its sanctions on Venezuela, allowing the government to pay legal fees for Nicolás Maduro’s defence lawyer. The move reverses an earlier restriction that had put the drug trafficking case against the ousted Venezuelan president at risk, according to a court filing on Friday, reported Reuters.

Maduro, 63, and his wife Cilia Flores, 69, were captured from their home in Caracas by US special forces as part of Operation Absolute Resolve on January 3 and brought to New York to face criminal charges, including narcoterrorism conspiracy. Both have pleaded not guilty and are currently being held in a Brooklyn jail while awaiting trial.

(This is a developing story. More to come)