Overview
- During a televised appearance on Monday, Nicolás Maduro said his presidential salary equals two Petros—about $120 in a largely disused state cryptocurrency—and insisted he is not a magnate.
- He joked that his wife, Cilia Flores, manages the account and often spends the money before he can access it.
- Transparencia Venezuela reports there is no publicly verifiable information on the president’s salary or personal patrimony, underscoring persistent transparency gaps.
- The remarks come as Venezuela endures deep economic stress, with the bolívar sharply devalued, a minimum wage fixed at 130 bolívares worth well under a dollar, and the OVF pricing the basic food basket above $500 per month.
- External pressure has escalated as President Donald Trump said the U.S. destroyed a Venezuelan port facility allegedly used for drug trafficking and Washington maintains a $50 million reward tied to accusations that Maduro leads the so‑called Cartel de los Soles.