Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez has demanded the return of her country's gold reserves held at the Bank of England. The reserves, valued at $1.9 billion in 2023, have been frozen for over six years due to Britain's refusal to recognize Nicolas Maduro's 2018 reelection. Rodriguez accused the Bank of England of unlawfully seizing the gold, stating that it belongs to Venezuelans and not the bank.
The demand comes amid improving diplomatic relations between Venezuela and Britain, which announced in September that they would appoint ambassadors to their diplomatic missions. This follows an agreement in August between the interim government and part of the opposition to work toward recovering the gold to aid victims of the June 24 earthquakes.
Rodriguez ordered the foreign ministry and the attorney general's office to take action to secure the gold's return. The demand was made nine months after Maduro was ousted in a US military operation. Rodriguez criticized what she described as a mockery aimed at unlawfully seizing Venezuela's resources, emphasizing that the gold is part of the central bank's reserves.