Switzerland freezes all of Maduro's assets in the country

Switzerland has frozen all assets of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his close associates immediately after US forces arrested him in Caracas and transferred him to the US.

The measure is intended to prevent the flight of suspect assets and is valid for four years. It is an extension of sanctions that have been in place against Venezuela since 2018.

According to the Swiss government, the freeze does not apply to members of the current Venezuelan administration and the aim is to return potentially illegally acquired assets to the Venezuelan people.

The Federal Council described the situation in Venezuela as unstable and called for restraint, while offering its assistance in finding a peaceful solution.

At the same time, the Swiss stressed that this was a precautionary step against politically exposed persons. It is not known what the extent of the asset freeze is, and the government has not yet commented on the details.

(reuters, pir)