Switzerland has blocked all assets of the ousted leader of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro and persons from his entourage. This is reported on the government website.
“On 5 January 2026, the Federal Council decided to immediately freeze all assets of Nicolás Maduro and other persons associated with him in Switzerland. In doing so, the Federal Council seeks to prevent the outflow of assets. The asset freeze does not affect members of the current government of Venezuela,” the statement said.
If future legal proceedings find that the funds were illegally obtained, Switzerland will endeavour to ensure that they “benefit the people of Venezuela”.The asset freeze is in addition to the sanctions against Venezuela that have been in place since 2018, the Swiss government added.
The country’s Federal Council wants to guarantee that any illegally acquired assets cannot be moved out of Switzerland in the current situation.
It is noted that the situation is volatile and “several scenarios are possible in the coming days and weeks”.
On the night of 3 January, US troops struck military facilities in the Venezuelan capital Caracas and captured the country’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Celia Flores. US authorities do not consider Maduro to be the legitimate president of Venezuela and accuse him and Flores of conspiring to engage in “narco-terrorism,” importing cocaine, and storing weapons and explosive devices for use against the US.
On the evening of January 3, they were taken to a detention centre in Brooklyn.
Maduro and his wife are due to make their first appearance in federal court in New York today, 5 January, where they will be formally informed of the charges.
US President Donald Trump told reporters on 4 January that he may order another strike if Venezuela does not cooperate with the United States.
In an interview with The Atlantic, the American president also threatened Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodriguez, saying that “if she doesn’t do the right thing, she will have to pay a very high price, probably higher than Maduro.”