Guaido Taps Frozen Venezuelan Assets To Fund Opposition Plans

With the move, the U.S. government, which along with Canada and numerous EU countries, has seized up to $24 billion in Venezuelan government assets since early 2019, is seeking new momentum in its elusive goal of ousting Venezuela's democratically elected President Nicolas Maduro. 

Despite openly distancing itself from opposition lawmaker Juan Guaidó over multiple failed coup attempts and embezzlement scandals, the Trump administration, in coordination with the Organization of American States (OAS), has granted a special license to begin initiating monthly payments of $100 to over 65,000 private health sector workers, as well two years of back pay to opposition lawmakers, the Washington Post reports.

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The majority of these stolen funds held by the U.S. Justice and Treasury departments in special forfeiture accounts, $601 million has already been diverted to fund Trump's border wall with Mexico partially. Remaining funds, belonging to the Venezuelan government, its Central Bank (BCV) and PDVSA's U.S. subsidiary, Citgo, have been siphoned to fund the Venezuelan opposition, sent to Guaido's diplomatic staff worldwide and, in the case of a BCV Citibank account, transferred to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, denounced as a "vulgar plunder" to the tune of $342 million.