The trial against Maduro continues even though the Venezuelan leader says he has no money to defend himself

BarcelonaThe second hearing of Nicolás Maduro before the judge in the United States ends with more doubts than certainties. It is clear that the trial is moving forward, as the judge has dismissed the case as requested by the defendants' lawyers. However, two of the main unknowns have not been resolved. On the one hand, it remains unclear who should pay for the defense of the deposed Venezuelan president and his wife, Cilia Flores, who was also captured in the January attack and is, like Maduro, detained in New York. On the other hand, it is still uncertain when the trial will begin; the hearing has concluded without a date or any timeframe being set.

Today's appearance came after Maduro and Flores have emphasized in recent days that they do not have sufficient resources to pay for their defense, which in trials like the one they face can cost millions of dollars. The former Venezuelan president and his wife believe that, due to Maduro's institutional position, the Venezuelan State should pay their lawyers. The Trump administration, however, does not see it favorably. It argues that the sanctions it applies to Venezuela invalidate this option, and it wants to force the defendants to pay the defense costs with their personal funds. In the hearing, according to some journalists who have been able to access it, the judge has leaned towards the option defended by Maduro and Flores, but no decision has been made at the moment.

This second day before the judge,

which precedes the one that already took place on January 6, was focused on various procedural matters. It was a rather routine declaration, and even before it began, no major developments were expected. During their intervention, the United States prosecution stated that the defendants have "looted" Venezuela for their own benefit, and in turn, Judge Hellerstein has noted that, once detained in the U.S., Maduro and Flores "do not represent any threat to the national security" of the country, without this having any consequences for them at present.

Maduro and Flores, held in New York in a high-security federal prison, are accused by Washington of "narco-terrorism conspiracy" and other drug trafficking-related offenses. Before the attack against Venezuela, the United States carried out dozens of attacks on alleged drug-smuggling speedboats in the Pacific and the Caribbean during the autumn, killing dozens of sailors and providing no public evidence as to whether the boats were actually carrying drugs. It was the pretext that the White House then used to justify the operation against Maduro and Flores, but a few hours after the attack Trump was already openly talking about taking over the country's oil, which has the largest crude oil reserves in the world.

Three months of changes in Venezuela

While Maduro sat before the judge in New York, in Caracas, Nicolás Maduro Guerra, son of the deposed president, led a rally in support of his father. During his speeches, the also deputy in the National Assembly called the judicial process against the Venezuelan leader "illegitimate and illegal." Maduro Guerra rejected the accusations that the U.S. imputes to his father, and called to raise their voices "for the truth.

The one who has not commented on today's hearing is Delcy Rodríguez. Her silence is notable, as until the United States kidnapped Mauro, she was the vice president and right-hand woman in the executive of the then-Venezuelan president, and had asked for his release on various occasions, albeit increasingly discreetly. In this regard, it aligns with the forced rapprochement that Rodríguez has made with the United States.

Since Maduro's capture in the United States' attack on Venezuela on January 3 of this year, relations between the two countries have changed drastically. Hellerstein himself noted this during the hearing: "Now [the United States] does business [with Venezuela]," he stressed. Under Washington's tutelage, Chavismo has liberalized the economy. Caracas has carried out significant legislative modifications, essentially reforming the hydrocarbons law and approving a new mining law that seek to provide legal coverage for private foreign investments on the island.

The country has also broken ties with Cuba. Several Cuban officials who were part of the Venezuelan government's security team have left for Havana, and Washington prohibits Caracas from sending oil to Castrism, which is key to the island's economy, a fact that

aggravates an already complicated situation in the country.