Bank and Government Sources

gold: The central bank did not respond to requests for comment, according to The Japan Times. Alvarado and the government sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not say where the central bank was sending the gold. The gold was removed in government vehicles between Wednesday and Friday last week when there were no regular security guards present at the bank, Legislator Angel Alvarado and the three government sources said. ; They plan to sell it abroad illegally, Alvarado said in an interview. They said the operation took place while central bank head Calixto Ortega was abroad on a trip. The central bank bought part of this gold from primitive gold-mining camps in the south of Venezuela and exported it to Turkey and other countries to finance the purchase of basic food supplies, given widespread shortages, according to more than 30 people with knowledge of the trade. In 2018, 23 tons of mined gold were transported from Venezuela to Istanbul by plane, according to sources and Turkish government data. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.