File: 20 Tons Of Gold And The Power Struggle In Venezuela

FILE: Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's president, gestures while speaking during a televised press conference in Caracas, Venezuela, on Friday, Jan. 25, 2019. The U.K., Spain, France and Austria recognized Venezuelan National Assembly leader Juan Guaido as the countrys interim president on Monday, joining an international push led by the U.S. censuring Maduro and calling for new elections. Last week the embattled Maduro regime halted plans to ship 20 tons of Venezuelan gold overseas. The gold bars, which are worth about $850 million, had been weighed and separated for transportation, but will not be sent out anytime soon from the central banks vaults in Caracas, the person said. The blocking of the shipment comes just a week after the Bank of England denied Maduro officials request to withdraw $1.2 billion of gold stored there. Photographer: Carlos Becerra/Bloomberg via Getty Images