Maduro-Flores Hearing: Legal Fees Dispute

Former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores head back to a New

York courtroom on Thursday.

They're facing drug trafficking charges and want the indictment dismissed amid a dispute

over paying their lawyers.

U.S. sanctions block Venezuela's government from covering the fees and officials insist

Maduro can fund his own defense.

The couple has been held in a Brooklyn detention center since their January arraignment, where

they both pleaded not guilty.

They haven't saw bail and no trial day to say yet.

Judge Alvin Hellerstein, a 92-year-old veteran of the federal bench, will oversee the hearing.

Back in Caracas, a couple hundred supporters gathered in a public plaza to pray for the

pair and watch proceedings on a big screen, though U.S. courts don't allow cameras.

Meanwhile, protesters rallied outside the New York courthouse with Venezuelan flags

calling for Maduro's release and chanting against U.S. military.

Actions.

The hearing won't dive deep into the court charges, which accused Maduro of a decade's

long plot to ship tons of cocaine into the United States with help.

From Venezuelan officials, instead, it'll focus on resolving the payment snag for his

legal team.

With Hellerstein's decades of experience on high-profile cases, including September 11th litigation, the

court aims to sort these logistics soon.

Hearing the case moving forward, despite the geopolitical tensions, Canada news today,

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I'm Corey with The Story.