Over 60,000 healthcare workers in Venezuela may miss out on millions of dollars in bonus payments after the government blocked access to a local digital currency exchange. The exchange was to be used to distribute the bonus payments to healthcare workers in US dollars and digital currencies. The healthcare workers were to benefit from a payment scheme organized by opposition leader and National Assembly President Juan Guaidó, who won a legal battle against President Maduro, leading to the recovery of over $24 million from foreign accounts.
Venezuelan government blocks crypto exchange Airtm.
About $18 million out of 24 million would be distributed to health workers at a time when they are on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19. This plan has been halted by the government’s blocking of Airtm, popular digital currency exchange in Venezuela. In a country where the local bolivar currency has been extremely devalued after two decades of hyperinflation, the opposition sought to pay the health workers through Airtm exchange. The digital currency exchange has over 500,000 users in Venezuela, allows them to access digital currencies and US dollars.
Venezuelan president and petro head wanted in the US.
As reported earlier, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) New York has put Joselit de la Trinidad Ramirez Camacho, the head of Venezuela’s crypto, to its most wanted person’s list. According to the ICE, Ramirez Camacho is accused of having deep political, social, and economic connections to multiple alleged drug kingpins, including Tareck EI Aissami. Venezuela’s crypto head is being charged with violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the Kingpin Act, and many other sanctions.
The US authorities have also put $5 million in bounty for any information leading to the arrest or conviction of Venezuela’s crypto head Ramirez Camacho.
