Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has asked a US judge to dismiss drug trafficking charges brought by the Trump administration, alleging that Washington sabotaged his constitutional right to defend himself.

Maduro's legal team argued on Thursday that the case should be thrown out because the US government blocked the Venezuelan government from covering the president's legal fees and those of his wife.

In a filing to a Manhattan federal judge, Maduro's defence lawyer Barry Pollack said blocking funds was "interfering with Mr. Maduro's ability to retain counsel and, therefore, his right under the Sixth Amendment to counsel of his choice". He stated this interference requires dismissal of the charges.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been detained in New York without bail since being seized from their Venezuelan home on January 3 in a US military raid. US prosecutors allege Maduro abused his power to aid drug traffickers, with his wife as a co-conspirator. Both maintain their innocence.

Pollack said the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which administers Venezuela sanctions, granted permission on January 9 for Maduro's legal fees to be paid by the Venezuelan government. However, less than three hours later, the Trump administration revoked the authorisation "without explanation", while leaving in place a licence for his wife's lawyers to be paid by Caracas authorities.

According to Reuters, a spokesman for the Manhattan US Attorney's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Associated Press reported that if the US allowed Venezuela to fund Maduro's defence, it could complicate prosecutors' efforts to counter his arguments that his capture was illegal and that he is immune from prosecution as a foreign head of state.

Source: www.aljazeera.com