Barry Pollack, a US trial lawyer, will take on the case as the captured Venezuelan president’s private counsel

When Nicolás Maduro appeared in court in New York on Monday, his choice of lawyer quickly raised eyebrows.

The captured Venezuelan president was accompanied by Barry Pollack, a top-tier US trial lawyer who spent years representing Julian Assange, eventually securing the WikiLeaks founder’s release from prison in the UK in 2024.

Pollack is a partner at Harris St Laurent & Wechsler, a law firm based on New York’s Wall Street in the financial district of lower Manhattan, just a few minutes walk from the federal court where Maduro pleaded not guilty to criminal charges on Monday.

  • grte@lemmy.ca
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    2 days ago

    I expect a kangaroo court. But if by some chance it weren’t, and Maduro were to walk and they had to send him back to Venezuela, that would be really, really funny.

    • Asafum@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I expect a kangaroo court.

      I’ve been wondering how they choose what court he goes to, and I can’t help but think this is the main deciding factor.

    • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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      2 days ago

      I expect a kangaroo court.

      I don’t. The US justice system isn’t that compromised just yet. It’s only really stacked against the poor; if you can pay enough (which Maduro presumably can) you should be able to expect a somewhat fair trial.

      • demonsword@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        The US justice system isn’t that compromised just yet

        Tell me how you can say that with a straight face, when you have people in the supreme court being openly bribed without any consequences whatsoever

        • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
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          2 days ago

          Oh the supreme court is rotten no argument there, but he’s not being tried by the supreme court, at least not yet. The regime would have to appeal decisions at multiple levels before getting there, and by that point it won’t matter anymore.

          • demonsword@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            at least not yet

            …and there you go. Even if the man is innocent, he’ll be jailed for years. This corrupt administration will drag this on forever even if they lose. As you said, “by that point it won’t matter anymore”.

              • GreyEyedGhost@piefed.ca
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                2 days ago

                Appeals on acquittal are a thing. It’s hard to say how or if that would be relevant in this situation since it really depends on what triggers the appeal.

        • mfed1122@discuss.tchncs.de
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          2 days ago

          The bribing without consequences is what might give someone with as much implicit access to wealth as Maduro a chance lol