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A group of Venezuelan exiles in Miami requested on Wednesday to the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom that the Government of that country be the custodian of the gold reserves of almost 2 billion dollars deposited in the Bank of England, until Venezuela has a legitimate Government recognized inside and outside the country.
The Organization of Venezuelan Political Persecuted in Exile (Veppex) announced that it will send a communication to the high court to ask it not to grant custody of the value of Venezuela’s gold “neither to the regime of Nicolás Maduro, nor to the interim government of Juan Guaido.”
In the vaults of the Bank of England there are 31 tons of Venezuelan gold bullion that are at the center of a legal dispute between the English issuing bank and the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV).
The Bank of England rejected the BCV’s request and now the UK High Court must decide on an appeal by Guaidó’s team to hand over custody of the gold reserves to his interim government.
According to a statement signed by the president of Veppex, José Antonio Colina, “the regime of Nicolás Maduro is usurping power and has been devastatingly corrupt and criminal linking itself with drug trafficking, but the interim government has had corruption scandals and no comptroller.”
“For the welfare of the patrimony of Venezuelans, it is necessary that this gold remains under the custody of the British government until legitimate authorities recognized by all can be elected”, he pointed out.
On Monday, July 19, the UK government clarified that it “unequivocally” recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaidó as president of Venezuela, to the detriment of Nicolás Maduro, a clarification that will be key in the ongoing litigation over access to Venezuelan assets deposited in England.
