Venezuelan Embassy in Italy Delays Rent Payments for Months Due to US Sanctions

ROME (Sputnik) - The Venezuelan Embassy in Italy has been in arrears in payments of rent and staff salaries for several months due to the US sanctions, Venezuelan Ambassador to Italy Isaias Rodriguez said at a press conference in Rome.

According to the ambassador, the diplomatic mission was informed of the possible eviction a month ago.

"Under normal circumstances, if a monthly rent is not paid, an invitation to leave the premises is sent, but thanks to our relations with the estate agency, with which we have been cooperating for 25 years already, we were given a three-month grace period", the ambassador said.

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According to Rodriguez, the receipt of funds in the embassy's account was blocked due to the "US unilateral sanctions".

"Eleven Italian employees have received no wages for four months, two of them have said that they could not take it anymore", the ambassador said.

Rodriguez mentioned Citibank, Commerzbank, Credit Suisse and Novo Bank among those banks that were not able to carry out bank transactions for the embassy due to the US sanctions.

Venezuela’s acute economic crisis worsened as the United States imposed several rounds of sanctions against the country after opposition leader Juan Guaido illegally declared himself interim president in late January. In addition, Washington, after recognizing Guaido, immediately seized billions of dollars’ worth of Venezuela’s oil assets. In mid-April, the United States introduced new sanctions against Venezuela, targeting the country's Central Bank and its director.

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