Meet Barry Pollack, Nicolas Maduro’s Lawyer In US Court

International

oi-Gaurav Sharma

Venezuelan
president
Nicolas
Maduro
is
preparing
for
a
major
courtroom
clash
in
the
United
States,
after
being
“captured”
in
a
special
forces
operation
in
Caracas
and
flown
to
New
York,
where
long‑running
federal
narcotics
and
terrorism
charges
now
await
a
full
trial
in
a
Manhattan
courtroom.

Maduro
will
face
these
criminal
allegations
in
the
US
District
Court
for
the
Southern
District
of
New
York,
where
prosecutors
claim
a
large,
organised
plan
linked
Venezuelan
power
structures
to
cocaine
shipments
headed
for
US
territory
over
more
than
two
decades,
placing
the
case
firmly
in
the
spotlight
of
global
politics.

Maduro
US
trial:
Barry
J
Pollack
steps
in
as
lead
defence
lawyer

To
manage
this
legal
storm,
Maduro
has
hired
Washington-based
trial
lawyer
Barry
J
Pollack,
who
has
experience
handling
controversial,
high-profile
defendants
and
who
previously
helped
secure
the
release
of
WikiLeaks
founder
Julian
Assange
from
prison
in
an
espionage
case
involving
the
US
Espionage
Act.

Pollack
formally
entered
the
Maduro
US
trial
on
Monday
by
filing
a
notice
of
appearance
in
Manhattan
federal
court,
Bloomberg
reported,
confirming
that
Pollack
will
now
act
as
lead
counsel
for
the
Venezuelan
leader
in
the
case
known
as
“USA
v.
Carvajal-Barrios”,
overseen
by
District
Judge
Alvin
Hellerstein.

Maduro
US
trial:
charges,
raid
and
long-running
US
investigation

The
US
indictments
allege
that,
for
more
than
25
years,
Maduro
and
several
senior
Venezuelan
officials
“abused
their
positions
of
public
trust”
to
help
move
huge
quantities
of
cocaine
into
the
United
States,
using
state
institutions
and
contacts
to
support
drug
traffickers
and
shield
their
operations
from
scrutiny.

According
to
federal
filings,
the
US
Department
of
Justice
says
Maduro
provided
“logistical
support”
to
powerful
drug
organisations,
including
the
Sinaloa
Cartel,
and
also
participated
in
“selling”
diplomatic
passports
to
traffickers,
which
allegedly
allowed
cartel
members
to
travel
with
official
cover
and
avoid
detection
by
law
enforcement
agencies.

Maduro
US
trial:
special
forces
capture
and
courtroom
setting

The
case
follows
a
US
special
forces
raid
in
Caracas
that
ended
with
Maduro’s
“capture”
and
transfer
to
New
York
under
heavy
security,
where
images
later
showed
a
helicopter
taking
Maduro
to
his
first
Manhattan
court
appearance,
underscoring
how
sensitive
the
proceedings
are
for
Washington
and
Caracas.

Judge
Alvin
Hellerstein,
who
is
92
and
widely
regarded
as
an
independent
jurist,
is
presiding
over
the
Maduro
US
trial,
which
combines
allegations
of
narco-terrorism,
cocaine
import
conspiracy
and
other
crimes
that
US
prosecutors
argue
were
tied
directly
to
Maduro’s
long
hold
on
high
office
in
Venezuela.

Maduro
US
trial:
Pollack’s
defence
strategy
and
legal
angles

As
Maduro’s
lead
counsel,
Pollack
is
expected
to
test
several
complex
lines
of
defence,
which
could
include
arguments
about
“sovereign
immunity”
because
Maduro
still
holds
the
title
of
President
of
Venezuela,
even
though
Maduro’s
deputy
has
now
been
declared
acting
president
by
Venezuelan
authorities.

Pollack
has
also
suggested
that
the
indictments
against
Maduro
are
“vindictively
or
selectively”
brought,
hinting
that
politics
may
be
central
to
the
defence
narrative,
and
that
the
Maduro
US
trial
will
likely
challenge
how
and
why
these
specific
charges
were
assembled
after
years
of
investigation
by
US
officials.

Maduro
US
trial:
Pollack’s
background,
Assange
link
and
trial
record

Barry
J
Pollack’s
selection
is
linked
to
a
long
record
with
cases
involving
national
security
and
international
disputes;
Pollack’s
most
prominent
client
was
Julian
Assange,
where
Pollack
designed
the
plea
deal
that
allowed
Assange
to
walk
free
last
year
after
years
in
custody
and
legal
battles.

Industry
publications
have
called
Pollack
a
“thorough
and
deep-thinking”
strategist,
and
some
colleagues
say
Pollack
“lives,
breathes
and
sleeps
trials”
while
having
a
“natural
way
in
front
of
juries”,
helping
explain
why
celebrities,
executives
and
political
figures
often
choose
Pollack
when
facing
serious
federal
cases.

Maduro
US
trial:
Pollack’s
major
wins,
pro
bono
work
and
law
firm
role

Pollack
is
a
Partner
at
Harris,
St
Laurent
&
Wechsler,
where
Pollack
has
spent
around
three
decades
trying
complex
jury
trials,
including
securing
a
full
acquittal
for
a
former
Enron
executive
who
faced
criminal
fraud
charges
after
the
company’s
collapse,
a
rare
outcome
in
that
corporate
scandal.

Beyond
high-fee
work,
Pollack
is
recognised
for
pro
bono
representation;
Pollack
led
the
legal
team
that
overturned
the
double
murder
conviction
of
Martin
Tankleff,
who
had
served
17
years
in
prison,
then
represented
Tankleff
in
civil
litigation
that
brought
$13.4
million
in
compensation,
according
to
the
firm’s
website.

Maduro
US
trial:
other
defence
lawyers
and
wider
geopolitical
backdrop

Maduro
is
not
the
only
family
member
lawyering
up
around
the
Maduro
US
trial;
Maduro’s
wife
Cilia
Flores
is
represented
by
Mark
Donnelly,
a
former
US
Department
of
Justice
prosecutor
who
has
formally
notified
the
court
that
Donnelly
will
appear
as
legal
counsel
for
Flores
in
related
proceedings.

The
Maduro
US
trial
now
pulls
together
US
narcotics
policy,
Venezuelan
politics
and
international
law,
with
Pollack’s
presence
signalling
a
detailed,
hard-fought
defence
while
prosecutors
pursue
claims
built
over
many
years,
leaving
the
Manhattan
court
to
decide
how
the
evidence
measures
against
the
sweeping
allegations.