The Swiss government has frozen with immediate effect assets held by Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro and "other persons associated with him."
Switzerland says this is being done to prevent any such assets from being taken out of the country, and if future legal proceedings show that they were acquired illegally, Switzerland will try to return them to the Venezuelan people.
Switzerland has imposed sanctions on Venezuela since 2018, which include asset freezes and travel bans on 54 individuals.
It is not clear exactly what assets Maduro holds in Switzerland, but a 2021 report in a Swiss newspaper based on leaked documents said Swiss prosecutors had identified bank accounts containing approximately $10 billion that may have come from embezzled public funds in Venezuela. Today's asset freeze takes effect today with immediate effect and will remain in place for four years until further notice.