Customs data shows that during the first years of ousted President Nicolas Maduro's rule, Venezuela transferred gold worth approximately 4.14 billion Swiss francs (5.20 billion dollars) to Switzerland. Data seen by Reuters indicates that the South American country sent 113 tons of the precious metal to Switzerland from 2013, when Maduro took office, to 2016. Swiss Broadcasting Corporation reported that the gold originated from the Venezuelan Central Bank, at a time when the government was selling the metal to support its economy. Customs data revealed that Venezuela did not export gold to Switzerland from 2017, when EU sanctions were imposed, until 2025. U.S. special forces arrested Maduro during an attack on Caracas on January 3, and he faces charges in a New York court, including drug trafficking and drug-related terrorism. Switzerland ordered yesterday, Monday, to freeze assets held by Maduro and 36 of his partners in the country but did not provide any information on the potential value of these assets or the source of these funds. It is not yet clear if there is any connection between these assets and the gold transferred from the Central Bank.
