Row over Bank of England’s Venezuelan gold heats up as senior Tory MP writes to Carney
The row over the Bank of England’s handling of Venezuelan gold escalated tonight after the former chair of parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee revealed he had written to governor Mark Carney expressing his concerns over the arrangement.
Senior Tory MP Crispin Blunt urged the governor to block President Nicolas Maduro’s attempts to take back the gold, which is thought to be worth $1.2bn (£911m).
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“The transfer of any gold to Venezuela under the current conditions will only serve to line the private pockets of a corrupt regime,” he wrote.
Blunt is the latest MP to wade into the row after it emerged representatives of Maduro’s government held a secret meeting with the Bank of England last month in a bid to negotiate the return of its gold reserves.
Blunt also asked foreign office minister Sir Alan Duncan what the UK is “going to do” about the matter. Duncan replied that it was a matter for the Bank.
“It would be unconscionable if the Bank of England was party to any arrangements of more assets of the people of Venezuela being stolen,” Blunt told City A.M.
Read more: Bank of England slammed over secret Venezuelan gold summit
The comments came a day after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been recognised as interim president by a growing number of countries including the US and Canada, called on Prime Minister Theresa May and Carney to block the transfer.
The Bank has refused to give a view on the issue, saying it does not comment on individual customer relationships.