CARACAS — Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodriguez said Wednesday that she had asked King Charles III to authorize the release of about 30 tons of Venezuelan gold frozen under United Kingdom sanctions so the funds could be used for earthquake recovery.
Rodriguez said she sent a letter to the British monarch requesting the release of the gold held at the Bank of England.
“This gold belongs to our people. We need this gold to deal with the consequences of the earthquake,” Rodriguez said in remarks broadcast on state television.
Last month’s twin earthquakes in Venezuela killed at least 3,800 people, destroyed numerous residential buildings and left thousands of people homeless or missing, according to Venezuelan authorities.