Exclusive : Venezuela plans to fly central bank gold reserves to UAE - source | Reuters
▻https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-gold-exclusive-idUSKCN1PP2QR
Venezuela will sell 15 tonnes of gold from central bank vaults to the United Arab Emirates in coming days in return for euros in cash, a senior official with knowledge of the plan said, as the crisis-stricken country seeks to stay solvent.
The sale this year of gold reserves that back the bolivar currency began with a shipment on Jan. 26 of 3 tonnes, the official said, and follows the export last year of $900 million of mostly unrefined gold to Turkey.
In total, the plan is to sell 29 tonnes of gold held in Caracas to the United Arab Emirates by February in order to provide liquidity for imports of basic goods, the source said, requesting anonymity in order to speak freely.
Socialist President Nicolas Maduro is under intense pressure to step down, with Venezuela in deep economic crisis and the government facing widespread international condemnation for elections last year seen as fraudulent.
The United States, which is backing an attempt by the opposition to oust Maduro and call new elections, warned bankers and traders on Wednesday not to deal in Venezuelan gold.
Republican U.S. Senator Marco Rubio sent a tweet to the United Arab Emirates embassy in Washington on Thursday warning that anybody transporting Venezuelan gold would be subject to U.S. sanctions.
Fin novembre 2018, les réserves d’or du Venezuela s’élevaient à 132 tonnes d’or répartis entre la Banque centrale du Venezuela et la Banque d’Angleterre.
(cité par El Nacional)
Reuters : BCV venderá 15 toneladas de oro a Emiratos Árabes
▻http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/economia/reuters-bcv-vendera-toneladas-oro-emiratos-arabes_268963
El Banco Central de Venezuela ya hizo un primer envío de unas tres toneladas a esa nación el 26 de enero