Venezuelan authorities argued on Tuesday before the English court that The British government no longer recognizes Juan Guaido as “interim president”. And therefore Court decisions must be reviewed which they gave to the leader of the opposition Control of gold deposited in London. The ruling party and the opposition led by Guaidó have been facing each other since 2019 for control of more than 30 tons of gold from state reserves, Its value is estimated at $1.9 billion, held in the vaults of the Bank of England.
Guaidó’s downfall
In a complex series of judgments and appeals, English justice determined that Guaido was the legitimate representative of the country. Also, the BCV ad hoc board appointed by him can instruct the Bank of England as a client. and that the English Justice did not recognize the decisions of the Supreme Court of Justice of Caracas annulling the said appointments, considering, among other things, that the judges of that Court are subject to the orders of the President Nicolas Maduro.
This latest decision, taken by London High Court Commercial Division Judge Sarah Cockerill in July 2022, was appealed by the official BCV in October last year. But while waiting for the appeals court to analyze the case, the political reality in Venezuela has changed.
At the end of December, the opposition council was elected in 2015 And it is still recognized by countries like the US and the UK that consider the 2020 legislation illegitimate. They voted to dissolve Guaido’s provisional government. This decision was accepted by governments such as Washington and London that recognized Guaidó when he installed himself as “interim president” in 2019.
“This story will continue.”
Through his Twitter account, Deputy Minister of Anti-Siege Policies, William Castillo He enclosed a letter sent to Judge Cockerell by the Legal Department of the English Government, in which Guaido was no longer recognized as president. “What will happen now? Judge Cockerell must decide whether to continue to accept a group of criminals called ‘BCV ad hoc’ that Guaidó has named as part of the trial. Will there come another phase of delirium in this legal and criminal absurdity against Venezuela? This story will continue … “. Castillo said.
“The position of the English government, used as an argument by the Guaidó law firm (Arnold & Porter), cites the One Voice principle, which states that in matters of foreign policy the British Empire can have only one position and is the only set by the government,” Castillo is quoted as saying. , who asserted that the syndicated message “is collapsing the farce”.
Before three judges of the London Court of Appeal Barrister Richard Lessack He also noted that “on 31 January 2023, the UK Foreign Office wrote to Judge Cockerell, without being asked about it” and “announced that the government no longer considered Guaidó as an ‘interim president'”.
Lissack has represented the BCV’s official board since 2022, chaired by Calixto Ortega, who traveled from Caracas for this new chapter in the judicial saga and on Tuesday followed the hearing in the back of the room. claiming it “The tectonic plates of the international landscape are moving”The lawyer asked the judges to dismiss the appeal and return the case to Cockerill for a full review.
Lessac, who failed, however, to convince the judges, said that, given that Guaido was no longer an “interim president”, “the right thing to do is to return”. Chief Justice Stephen Mallis and colleagues Stephen Phillips and Sarah Falk decided to proceed with the appeal of the Venezuelan Supreme Court’s decisions. Hearings began immediately on Tuesday and will continue through Thursday.
“the world has changed”
“They were asked to define this case on appeal when the world changes,” Lessack told the judges, and “to define litigation on grounds that no longer exist in the real world.” But Men and Phillips expressed their doubts, pointing out that the British government had not changed its mind about who it recognized as President of Venezuela in 2019, when the appointments were made to the BCV’s special command.
The Central Bank of Venezuela, headed by Ortega, sued the Bank of England in 2020 demanding the handover of gold for its need to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.. However, he claimed to have received contradictory orders from the BCV appointed by Guaidó, who he said feared the money would go into the pockets of “kleptocrats” or serve to oppress the population.
Lessac He stressed on Tuesday that the country still needs funds For humanitarian reasons and that those It should be turned into a “humanitarian fund administered by the United Nations for the benefit of the people of Venezuela”.. In turn, he defended that BCV members are “serious bankers who carry out an important mission in the most difficult circumstances,” in contrast to Guaidó’s ad hoc council, which lacks monetary policy functions, and many of its members live in exile in the United States. Countries.
Regardless of what happens with this resource, a representative of the legal team on Maduro’s side revealed to EFE that they plan to file this new application at the Chamber of Commerce as soon as possible, so that they decide who can access the gold now. The British government no longer recognizes Guaidó as interim president.
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