"Venezuela under Maduro shipped gold worth $5.2 billion to Switzerland", 06 January 2026

...Venezuela transported gold worth almost 4.14 billion Swiss francs ($5.20 billion) to Switzerland during the early years of the leadership of ousted President Nicolas Maduro, customs data shows. The South American country sent 113 metric tons of the precious metal to Switzerland from 2013 - when Maduro took office - to 2016, according to data reviewed by Reuters...

The gold originated from Venezuela's central bank, Swiss broadcaster SRF said, at a time when the government was selling down gold to support its economy. There were no gold exports from Venezuela to Switzerland from 2017, when EU sanctions were imposed, to 2025, customs data showed...

On Monday, Switzerland ordered the freezing of assets held in the country by Maduro, and 36 associates, but did not give any information on possible value or source of such funds...

The gold, from Venezuela's reserves, was likely transferred to Switzerland for processing, certification and onward transport, SRF reported...

The central bank of Venezuela has sold down its gold reserves to support the country's economy and raise hard currency in the face of U.S. sanctions...

The gold exports to Switzerland fell to zero in 2017 when the European Union sanctioned various Venezuelan individuals accused of human rights violations or undermining democracy. Switzerland adopted the EU sanctions in early 2018. The sanctions did not contain a general Swiss embargo on gold imports from Venezuela...