By EFE
The federal judge in charge of the case of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores convened this Monday a new hearing for next June 30 in New York.
Magistrate Alvin Hellerstein accepted the joint request from Maduro’s defense, Flores’ defense and the Prosecutor’s Office to celebrate a new view the last week of June, after the lawyers requested it in a letter.
If there is no postponement, next June 30 at 12:00 New York time, The Venezuelan marriage will return to the Court of the Southern District of New York, transferred from the Brooklyn detention center where they have remained since they were captured in Caracas on January 3.
In the same brief, the judge also accepted the request of both defendants to withdraw their attempts to overturn the accusation for alleging that the United States was blocking their access to an effective defense.
This is because, a few weeks ago, the United States Office of Foreign Assets Assistance agreed to modify sanctions on Venezuela to allow his regime to pay the legal fees of Maduro and Flores, which paved the way for the defense to abandon its attempts to overthrow the accusation.
Hellerstein granted it “without prejudice,” which leaves the door open for them to present another same motion later.
The 92-year-old judge also agreed to stop the case clock until the new hearing is held and exclude the remaining days from the count stipulated by the Speedy Trial law, which will allow the case to be prolonged.
The federal rule establishes time limits for initiating federal criminal trials in order to ensure a speedy trial. Generally it is a period of 70 days from the formal accusation.
Maduro and Flores have pleaded “not guilty” on charges including narcoterrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation.
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