The UK government “clearly and unequivocally” recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaido as the “legitimate” president of Venezuela, noted the lawyer representing Britain’s Foreign Office and Minister Dominic Raab in a dispute before the Supreme Court.
The lawyer, James Eddy, said that London has “only” recognized Guaido since February 2019, and therefore “he is the only person recognized with the authority to act on behalf of Venezuela as head of state”, which means that the president of the Venezuelan National Assembly has access to Venezuelan assets deposited in England.
In documents processed before Britain’s highest court, Eddy asserts that “it is clear that only one president and only one president is recognized” and confirms that a statement to this effect was issued by the Foreign Office in February of 2019.
In that statement, the ministry recognized Guaido as “the interim constitutional president of Venezuela” until “credible” elections were held, which lawyers on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s side deemed Guaido legally recognized. (by right) but not “de facto” (in reality), because, in practice, he does not control the institutions of the country.
In the current process, which runs through Wednesday, the Supreme Court has to decide who recognizes the British executive as the ruler of Venezuela for all purposes.
It is a preliminary step for the court to allow access to the gold reserves guarded by the Bank of England, which amount to 1,600 million euros (about 1,900 million dollars), in addition to the $120 million resulting from the gold swap executed by Deutsche Bank.
efe / independent / afp / rr
“Subtly charming bacon junkie. Infuriatingly humble beer trailblazer. Introvert. Evil reader. Hipster-friendly creator.”