Judge weighs whether Venezuela can pay Maduro's legal costs in US drug trafficking case - NPR

A federal judge is considering whether the Venezuelan government can cover Nicolás Maduro's legal expenses as he faces U.S. drug trafficking charges. The question hinges on whether Venezuela's state resources can legally be used to fund the defense of Maduro, who is accused of narcotics offenses by American prosecutors. The ruling could affect Maduro's ability to mount a robust legal defense and has implications for how U.S. courts treat sovereign wealth and state assets in criminal cases involving foreign leaders. Maduro has denied the drug trafficking allegations and remains in Venezuela, which does not typically extradite its leaders to the United States. The outcome will clarify legal boundaries around state funding for defendants in high-profile international criminal cases.