Swiss refutes talks with Juan Guaido to freeze Venezuelan bank accounts

Swiss President Ueli Maurer did not speak to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido about freezing Swiss bank accounts belonging to the South American nation, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.

"This information is not correct. There was no telephone contact between Mr Gauido and President Maurer," the spokesman said by email in response to an enquiry. He was not immediately available to elaborate.

"We are talking to the Swiss president," Guaido had said in an interview with Mexican network Televisa. He said they had spoken on Wednesday morning but did not mention Maurer, who is also finance minister, by name.