“Fascinated by the US special forces, the Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro involved in his defense in the American court Barry Pollack, a lawyer who previously represented the interests of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in the espionage case.”, — write: www.pravda.com.ua
Barry Pollack. Photo: Getty Images Source: NBC News
Details: Maduro hired Barry J. Pollack, a partner at the New York law firm Harris St. Laurent & Weschler LLP. It was he who accompanied Maduro during the first court session, which took place on Monday.
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Maduro and his wife Celia Flores, represented by another defense attorney, veteran Houston prosecutor Mark Donnelly, have pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to commit narco-terrorism.
Colleagues describe Pollack as a “meticulous” lawyer who specializes in cases where the law intersects with geopolitics and knows how to persuade juries.
However, in legal circles, Pollack is primarily known as the key architect of the defense strategy of the founder of WikiLeaks, whose case became a precedent in the fight for press freedom.
The American authorities have accused the founder of WikiLeaks of conspiring to illegally obtain and publish classified information about national defense. Assange was indicted on 18 counts, including under the Espionage Act. The maximum penalty could be 175 years in prison.
It was about the publication of thousands of secret documents about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which, according to the investigation, endangered the national security of the United States. One of the loudest episodes was the publication of a video of the shooting of civilians and Reuters journalists in Baghdad by the American military from a helicopter.
Thanks to Pollack’s efforts, Assange pleaded guilty to just one count in exchange for a sentence equal to time already served at Belmarsh maximum security prison in Great Britain. This allowed the activist to be released and return to Australia.
In addition to the WikiLeaks case, Pollack has other high-profile victories to his credit, including the complete acquittal of Michael Krautz, the former accountant of the energy giant Enron, who was accused of fraud. It was one of the few acquittals in a series of trials since the corporation’s collapse.
Pollack also defended Martin Tankleff, a New Yorker who spent 17 years in prison on false charges of murdering his parents. Pollack succeeded in getting the conviction overturned and all charges dropped.
So far, Pollack has refrained from making extensive comments to the press about the new case.
Prehistory:
- Maduro and his wife appeared before federal judge Alvin Hellerstein on Monday, January 5. Both are under increased security delivered by helicopter from the municipal detention center in Brooklyn to the helipad in Manhattan and then by motorcade to the courthouse.
- Pollack told the court that Maduro had health problems that needed attention, and Flores’ lawyer said she could have suffered broken or badly bruised ribs during the detention.
- During the court session, Maduro through an interpreter declared his innocence. He also claimed that he had been “kidnapped” and insisted that he was still the current president of Venezuela.
- Defense attorneys said neither Maduro nor Flores are currently seeking bail, but may apply in the future. The next meeting is scheduled for March 17.