Maduro denounces at the UN that Novo Banco de Portugal has money withheld from the State – Observer
President Nicolás Maduro denounced Monday, at the UN, that Novo Banco, from Portugal holds more than “1,000 million dollars” (approximately 891 million euros) that belong to the Venezuelan State.
“I must also denounce that Novo Banco de Portugal has kidnapped, in the form of freezing, more than a billion dollars from Venezuela“, he said.
Nicolás Maduro was based on the inaugural session of the UN Human Rights Council, in an intervention in which he highlighted the changes for his country, of the changes determined against Venezuela.
The President of Venezuela also denounced that “the Bank of England, with the support of the Government of the United Kingdom, holds 31 tons of gold sequestered and retainedbelonging to the Venezuelan legal and historical reserves.
“Citibank transferred $342 million (approximately 305 million euros), from the Central Bank of Venezuela and belonging to the country, to a US Treasury account, illegally”, he denounced.
According to Nicolás Maduro, “these three financial institutions (Novo Banco, Bank of England and Citibank) deny us the right to use the resources to buy vaccines, medicines, food and supplies in general in the fight against Covid-19”.
“And, to guarantee the rights to health and life of the Venezuelan people. The International Monetary Fund does the same and, in favor of the Government of the United States, refuses to give Venezuela 5 billion dollars (4,460 million euros) to Venezuela special drawing rights, which correspond to the right to fight against the (Covid-19) pandemic and for the rights of the people”, stressed the politician.
According to the official, “as ill-named” internationals deprived Venezuela of “99% percent of its income in divisions by exports and at least 30 billion dollars (26,755 million euros) net that are part of Venezuela’s assets abroad”.
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On February 12, 2021, the UN asked banks and banks, including the Government of Portugal, the assets that are withheld, to allow Venezuela to meet the natural needs of its population.
The request was made by the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights, Alena Douhan, during a press conference in Caracas, in which she condemned an economic application made to the international ones, from the US and Europe, against Venezuela, since 2017.
“I urge the governments of Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States, and the corresponding correspondents, to unfreeze the assets of the Central Bank of Venezuela for the purchase of medicines, vaccines and food, medical and other equipment, spare parts and other essential types. to ensure that the human needs of the Venezuelan people are met,” he said.
According to Alena Douhan the unlocking these assets can even “re-establish public services” and should be done in collaboration and through mutually agreed mechanisms with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and other UN agencies.
According to the Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jorge Arreaza, there are “more than 1,500 million euros blocked in Novo Banco”, in Portugal, “for the consideration of medicines, vaccines, deposits, raw materials, seeds and fertilizers”.
The amount retained in Portugal is also intended for “treatments” against “malaria, AIDS and other diseases, hospital chronicles, commitments with UN agencies, parts for, equipment of other equipment in service abroad, among”.
On May 14, 219, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, Augusto Santos Silva, in statements to journalists in Brussels, that Portugal is “a rule of law, a political democracy and a market economy” and, therefore, “the banks do not obey the government”.
Santos Silva said he was aware of the “different between a Portuguese bank and its depositors” and that this dispute, as it is “natural in a State of Law”, is already placed in legal and judicial headquarters.