Maduro Asks Portugal To Unblock Over $1.7Bln Of Venezuela Funds

Umer Jamshaid Published April 17, 2019 | 07:45 AM

CARACAS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th April, 2019) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro demanded that more than $1.7 billion of Venezuelan funds that were used to buy medicines be unblocked by the Portuguese authorities.

"In one of the Portuguese banks they robbed us of $1,726 billion that we were using to buy medicines and food ... I call on the government of Portugal to free this money. Why do they leave us without money? It is ours," Maduro told the state television.

In January, US-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido illegally declared himself interim president of Venezuela after disputing Maduro's reelection victory in May.

Washington immediately endorsed Guaido and called on Maduro to step down.

Maduro has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as a US puppet. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Turkey and a number of other countries have voiced their support for Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.