People of Venezuela are fleeing the country because of hyperflexion and president Maduro is stick to his position using state and military power. In such a turbulent situation, a foreign diplomat and a Venezuelan opposition legislator exposed a corruption scandal.
In early March, one Russian jet plane transported around 7.4 tons of gold bricks worth more than $300 million in two flight from Venezuela to Uganda. The gold arrived at the International airport in Entebbe and was shifted to Venezuelan refinery in Uganda. The police spokesman, Fred Enanga reported that the accompanying documents identify the gold bars and some of them were stamped as Venezuelan central bank property. Anyhow, the flight records the voyages were carried out inside Caracas, Venezuela. The gold slabs were delivered from Entebbe to African Gold Refinery Ltd (AGR), some 500 meters from the old runway. According to Ugandan police, the country’s Financial Intelligence Authority and regional smugglers are part of the processed gold that has been smuggled out of conflict-ridden eastern Congo and other African countries.
Maduro is clinging to power using all means to circumvent the US-dominated international financial system. The USA has announced military intervention if needed in Venezuela. Washington has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the legitimate president of Venezuela, imposing sanction on Nov 01, 2018, upon officials and institutions and threatened punishments for others who do business with the regime of Maduro. Fifty more countries support Guaido’s claim for the presidency. And remaining back Maduro.
“It’s a fire sale,” says one of the lawmakers, Ángel Alvarado, who is a member of the Finance Committee. “The regime is scratching the barrel and selling everything that is valuable to keep itself alive.”
Russian intervention in the issue has turned Venezuela a battleground for the cold war between the USA and Russia. Maduro tried to get rid of Dollar for oil trade with Russia. Both countries were desperately looking for other means of transactions.
