Venezuelan VP tells RT how Caracas fights sanctions & what awaits Guaido once he's back

Caracas will use all legal means available to protect its assets in Europe and the US from illegal seizure, Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez told RT. She also spoke about the self-proclaimed 'president' Juan Guaido.

In an exclusive interview with RT, Rodriguez said the Venezuelan government has already taken "concrete legal steps" to claim back the assets of which it was "robbed" by the US and which have been frozen by European banks.

It was reported earlier that the Bank of England had blocked Venezuela's attempts to retrieve $1.2 billion worth of gold in the nation's foreign reserves. Venezuela's self-proclaimed and US-backed 'interim president' Juan Guaido hailed the move as the "protection" of the country's assets.

"We have hired lawyers to protect our interests, first and foremost, it concerns gold which has been unlawfully retained by the Bank of England," Rodriguez said.

The Venezuelan VP also said that Caracas would mount a legal defense against the US move to freeze $7 billion of assets belonging to the state-owned PDVSA oil and natural gas giant and its US subsidiary Citgo.

We have also taken steps for the legal protection of Venezuela. I'm talking about the theft of Venezuela's assets committed by the US. Venezuela has the right to protect its legal interests.

Washington plans to hand over the frozen assets to Guaido, who in turn vowed to appoint an alternative board of directors for the companies.

Speaking of the recently announced decision to move PDVSA's European headquarters from Lisbon to Moscow, Rodriguez called the transfer "rather timely" and in line with Venezuela's expanded cooperation with Russian oil and gas industry. Rodriguez said that in addition to the European HQ, other PDVSA affiliates would relocate to Russia as well.

Guaido's actions are a 'circus at the international level'

The VP has also shared her views on Guaido, denouncing his actions as detrimental to Venezuela's future.

"This person is not only making a joke of himself inside the country, but is now making a circus show at the international level," Rodriguez said, blaming the US-backed opposition lawmaker of colluding with the Trump administration to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Read more

Bank of England refused to return $1.2bn in gold to Venezuela – reports

Asked what Guaido, who is now in Colombia, can expect when and if he returns to his home country, Rodriguez said that his actions, such as plotting to topple the government, would warrant a criminal prosecution.

"Such actions are prosecuted by criminal law. Also, there is a regulatory framework that our authorities are guided by. And they are already taking the necessary measures and will continue to protect our state of law and order," she said, without elaborating further.

Washington has warned Caracas of "serious consequences" if it harms Guaido, who could face up to 30 years in prison, according to a judge of the country's Supreme Tribunal for Justice. Deputy judge Juan Carlos Valdez said that Guaido, who violated a travel ban on February 22 when he crossed into Colombia, was "hiding from justice" and would be "caught and sent to prison" when he comes back.

READ MORE: US-backed Venezuela ‘president’ Guaido could face 30 years in prison – judge

Rodriguez warned the opposition against calling for military intervention, noting that such calls would backfire since no one is immune to bombings.

"Therefore there is a necessity to sit down for talks and tackle the domestic problems of Venezuela."

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