The UK is in danger of helping Venezuelan oligarchs "line their own pockets" as the Bank of England may be forced to return 14 tonnes of gold to Venezuela, MPs have warned.
Last night both Conservative and Labour MPs expressed concerns this would help prop up President Nicolás Maduro’s regime, despite widespread condemnation of its human rights abuses.
The Venezuelan government is seeking to repatriate some $550 million (£422 million) worth of gold bars held by the UK’s central bank, as it fears a further crackdown on its international transactions following US sanctions last week.
A weak bolivar and severely depleted stocks of foreign hard currency thanks to earlier sanctions have left the…