$30 billion of Venezuela’s money seized because of US sanctions says Ambassador

Venezuela’s ambassador to St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has accused the United States government of stealing its money and violating important international laws.

Francisco M Perez Santana, the head of the Mission at the Embassy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in SVG held a press conference last week to speak about some of the most recent developments relating to his country.

Armed with documents and receipts, Santana said the US government was intervening in the finances of his country by imposing sanctions that have resulted in approximately $30 billion of Venezuela’s money being seized all over the world.

He said the seized funds were in international banks in Portugal, England, France, the USA and 41 other banks and financial institutions.

“We are blocked in all parts, we cannot buy medicine or if we buy medicine and some company want to sell us, then they sell at very high prices because of the sanctions,” the ambassador said.

“What the government of United States, the government of Donald Trump is doing against Venezuela is a crime against humanity. They are killing the people of Venezuela. They are trying to intervene in our country majorly.”

Santana said that many people have died, including children who were waiting on medication that was to be bought with the money that has been frozen.

He also said that the US has been painting a distorted view of the situation because they have imposed sanctions on Venezuela and blamed the people’s suffering on Maduro’s government.

International media reported recently that the Venezuelan opposition took control of three of the country’s diplomatic properties in the US.

But Santana said that this is a violation of international laws.

“…Taking control of embassy, violating international law, violating the Vienna Convention because the Vienna Convention obligates the government that receives any other country to protect the building and the people that represent other countries, even in a case of war,” he said.

And the ambassador warned that if the US can do this to a country like Venezuela then “it can happen to any other country in the Caribbean, in Latin America, in any part of the world because they think that they are the owner of the world”.

Santana unveiled a global campaign, which reads “#TrumpUnblockVenezuela” when translated to English, and it is meant to stop the US from imposing sanctions and intervening in his country’s relations.