Is in US custody: Nicolás Maduro.Image: keystone
January 5, 2026, 12:30 p.mJan 5, 2026, 12:54 p.m
Any assets in Switzerland belonging to the Venezuelan head of state Nicolás Maduro, who was arrested by the USA, will be blocked immediately as a precautionary measure. The Federal Council decided this on Monday.
According to a statement from the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA), the Federal Council wants to ensure that no assets belonging to Maduro and other people around him can flow away. Members of the incumbent government of Venezuela are not affected by the lockdown, it said.
The blocking is an addition to the sanctions against Venezuela that have been in place since 2018. This has already included asset freezes. According to the EDA, the new bans are aimed at people who have not previously been sanctioned in Switzerland.
The basis for the step is the law on the blocking and restitution of illegally acquired assets of foreign politically exposed persons (SRVG). The FDFA states that the reasons for the loss of power are not the decisive factor for such a block. Likewise, it is not decisive whether the loss of power was brought about lawfully or in violation of international law.
The decisive factor for the step is the fact that there has been a loss of power. This means that there is now the possibility that the country of origin will initiate legal assistance proceedings in the future with regard to the illegally acquired assets.
The blocking is intended to enable such procedures in the future. And if it turns out that funds were acquired unlawfully, Switzerland wants to use them to benefit the people of Venezuela, wrote the FDFA. (sda)