A Boeing freight jet owned by the Russian airline Yerofei. Yerofei On January 31, Novaya Gazeta reported that Russian agencies may have assisted in the liquidation of Venezuelan gold. The previous day, a Boeing 757 owned by the Russian company Yerofei flew from Moscow to Caracas through Dubai, increasing speculation among journalists and anti-Maduro politicians that the jet was to remove $840 million, or 20 tons of gold, from Venezuela’s national bank. That amount would reportedly represent about 20 percent of the country’s holdings. The Boeing jet made one additional trip between Moscow and Caracas between January 18 and 19. Novaya Gazeta’s sources said vehicles owned by the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates met the Russian plane upon its landing in Dubai. The newspaper reported that “gold was removed from the plane, which was then loaded with containers filled with cash in U.S. dollars.” Novaya Gazeta also wrote that approximately 30 tons of Venezuelan gold worth approximately $1.2 billion in total were already held in Russian storage facilities. Those holdings may be related to Nicolás Maduro’s January 30 announcement that he would allocate billions of dollars to development projects in the country despite ongoing political upheaval. Juan Guaidó, an opposition leader and Venezuelan parliamentarian, announced earlier this month that he would be assuming the duties of the country’s president. The announcement sparked divisions between governments that backed Guaidó, including that of the United States, and Russian government leaders who remain committed to Maduro’s presidency. Data showing flights made by the Yerofei jet on the Flightradar24 website Russia’s Central Bank denied Novaya Gazeta’s allegations. Its chairperson, Elvira Nabiullina, said reports regarding Russian holdings of Venezuelan gold were inaccurate. Sources involved in Russian financial dealings told The Bell that they doubted Russia has the ability to store gold that remains under Venezuelan ownership. On January 29, the Venezuelan opposition deputy José Guerra said he suspected Russian officials were preparing to remove 20 tons of gold from the country. Another Russian jet, this time a Boeing 777, allegedly landed in Caracas to carry out the transfer. Bloomberg reported that although Guerra did not provide evidence for his suspicions, he previously worked as an economist in Venezuela’s Central Bank and has maintained ties with his former colleagues. Another Bloomberg source affirmed that 20 tons of gold, or 20 percent of Venezuela’s holdings, had been “set aside for shipping” in the Central Bank. Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin, said he “did not receive that information” and asked journalists to “deal carefully with ‘fake news’ of various kinds.” The U.S. government made Venezuelan assets in U.S. banks accessible to Guaido’s opposition on January 29. In the meantime, the Bank of England refused to transfer $1.2 billion dollars in Venezuelan gold that is currently held in the United Kingdom back to Venezuelan territory. Bloomberg and other English-language sources reported that the Bank of England’s refusal followed calls from the White House to cut the Maduro regime’s access to Venezuelan assets outside the country’s borders. Meduza is you. We’re only here thanks to you. Pledge today Translation from Russian by Hilah Kohen<doc-sep>The sudden appearance of a Russian jetliner at an airport in Caracas this week fueled rumors that embattled President Nicolas Maduro’s ally was going to help him swipe 20 tons of Venezuela’s gold reserves. Venezuelan lawmaker Jose Guerra claimed on Twitter that the Russian Boeing 777, owned by the airline Nordwind, that landed in Caracas Monday was there to transport the gold from the country’s central bank. Russian Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina on Thursday shot down reports that Venezuela’s gold was winging its way to Russia, a staunch backer of the hard-left socialist Maduro. And Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters Thursday that she could not comment on the airliner, “which was not sent for official goals.” “I can say that this is not about evacuation of Russian diplomats, or their family members or Russian citizens that are employees of overseas agencies or companies,” she said. Guerra is a former central bank economist who reportedly remains in contact with former colleagues. The gold is worth about $840 million and is roughly 20 percent of the country’s gold reserves. Maduro’s government is under increasing pressure from the US, which has backed self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaidó’s effort to force Maduro from power.<doc-sep>top stories direct to your inbox SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up to receive our rundown of the day'sdirect to your inbox When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The tariffs have been placed in order to try and put pressure on ousting President Nicolas Maduro from power. National security adviser, John Bolton, tweeted traders should avoid dealing in gold, oil or any other commodity as opponents of Maduro’s government speculated a Russian-operated plane shipped gold out of the country. There have been reports 20 tonnes of precious material had been taken by a Russian-chartered Boeing 777 plane to Caracas on Wednesday. Mr Bolton said: “My advice to bankers, brokers, traders, facilitators, and other businesses: don’t deal in gold, oil, or other Venezuelan commodities being stolen from the Venezuelan people by the Maduro mafia. “We stand ready to continue to take action.” Maduro’s government has been backed by China, Russia and Turkey with the Kremlin saying this week that it expects Venezuela to pay its debts. The Boeing 777 plane was operated by Russia’s Nordwind Airlines and according to Venezuelan lawmaker Jose Guerra, a former central bank economist, who informed the National Assembly the plane was there to take some of the gold reserves. READ MORE: Russia rubbishes claim plane sent to Venezuela for ’20 tonnes of gold' Venezuela crisis: US warns of stolen gold Venezuela crisis: Guaido call for fresh protests Venezuela: Russia warns Donald Trump over interference There are reports Russian backed private military contractors were in the country to conduct secret missions there. Both China and Beijing have invested heavily in the South American nation while there was speculation that £700million of gold had been shipped to Turkey last year. Opposition leader Juan Guaido has been heavily supported by the US with Trump insisting on an immediate transition and immediate re-elections. Trump said: “Spoke with Venezuelan Interim President Juan Guaido today to congratulate him on his historic assumption of the presidency and reinforced strong United States support for Venezuela’s fight to regain its democracy. READ MORE: Venezuela crisis: Donald Trump issues TRAVEL WARNING to Americans Venezuela crisis: Maduro crucially has the army's backing Venezuela crisis: Migrants forced to flee from Brazil<doc-sep>
About 20 tons of gold from Venezuela's central bank was ready to be hauled away Tuesday on a Russian airline's Boeing 777 that landed in Caracas a day earlier, a Venezuelan lawmaker wrote on Twitter. The destination of the $840 million in gold bars was unknown, but a source told Bloomberg News that it represented about 20 percent of the country's holding of the metal. The gold was set aside for loading, the report said. The news outlet, which first reported on the tweet, identified the lawmaker as Jose Guerra. The lawmaker did not provide evidence for his claim but is identified in the report as a former economist at the country's central bank with close ties to workers still there. Noticias Venezuela, a news outlet in the country, posted a photo of what it identified as a Nordwind Airlines plane from Moscow that made the trip with only a crew aboard. Simon Zerpa, Venezuela's finance minister, did not comment about the gold when reached by Bloomberg and denied there was a Russian plane at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Caracas. "I'm going to start bringing Russian and Turkish airplanes every week so everybody gets scared," he joked. Bloomberg reached out to Nordwind, which did not comment on the purpose of the flight. The airline did not immediately respond to an email from Fox News. PENN: COULD THE US END UP LIKE VENEZUELA? IT MIGHT IF WE DON'T LEARN THESE THREE CRITICAL LESSONS A plane belonging to a Moscow-based company was reportedly seen Monday heading to an international airport near Caracas, according to flight tracking records. Reuters reported that there had been speculation about the jet that was “parked by a private corner of the airport.” And Reuters reported that it was the first time the plane made the trip. Some conspiracy theories have circulated, including that the plane carried mercenaries, but there was no solid evidence, Reuters reported. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Russia, one of President Nicolas Maduro's staunchest supporters, is reportedly owed billions by the Latin American nation. Russia has said it expects Venezuela to have problems repaying debt ahead of an upcoming payment on a Russian loan. Russia also has extensive commercial interests in Venezuela, including state oil company Rosneft’s partnership with Petroleos de Venezuela SA, a state company placed under sanctions Monday by the United States. Venezuela is treading in the uncharted political waters after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim head of state last week in a direct challenge to Maduro’s reign. The 35-year-old head of the opposition-led national assembly has the backing of more than a dozen mostly western nations including the United States, Canada and several members of the European Union. Venezuela's Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to a prosecutor's request to prevent Guaido from leaving the country while the Socialist government conducts a criminal probe into his activities. Guaido said outside the National Assembly building that he was aware of personal risks, but added, "Venezuela is set on change, and the world is clearly conscious of what's happening." Fox News' Bradford Betz, Samuel Chamberlain and the Associated Press contributed to this report.