Title 22 — Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73not60

§9741 Recovering Assets Stolen From the Venezuelan People

Title 22 › Chapter 104— VENEZUELA ASSISTANCE › Subchapter V— SUPPORTING THE RECONSTRUCTION OF VENEZUELA › § 9741

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The President must lead a coordinated international effort, working through the Secretary of State and consulting the Secretary of the Treasury, to work with other countries to share financial investigation information, freeze or block assets found to be stolen, and help those countries set up laws to seize stolen funds. The effort must also include special financial investigations to find and track assets taken from the people and institutions of Venezuela by theft, corruption, money laundering, or other illegal means. No later than 180 days after December 20, 2019, the President, through the Secretary of State and consulting the Secretary of the Treasury, must send a strategy to Congress explaining how to carry out these actions. The strategy must say whether the United States or another international partner should set up a managed fund to hold the identified assets so they can be returned to a future democratic government in Venezuela, and must include any recommended U.S. laws or administrative steps needed to create and run that fund.

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §9741

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The President, acting through the Secretary of State and in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall advance a coordinated international effort—

(1)to work with foreign governments—

(A)to share financial investigations intelligence, as appropriate;

(B)to block the assets identified pursuant to paragraph (2); and

(C)to provide technical assistance to help governments establish the necessary legal framework to carry out asset forfeitures; and

(2)to carry out special financial investigations to identify and track assets taken from the people and institutions of Venezuela through theft, corruption, money laundering, or other illicit means.

(b)(1)Not later than 180 days after December 20, 2019, the President, acting through the Secretary of State and in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, shall submit a strategy for carrying out the activities described in subsection (a) to Congress.

(2)The strategy required under paragraph (1) shall—

(A)assess whether the United States or another member of the international community should establish a managed fund to hold the assets identified pursuant to subsection (a)(2) that could be returned to a future democratic government in Venezuela; and

(B)include such recommendations as the President and the Secretary of State consider appropriate for legislative or administrative action in the United States that would be needed to establish and manage the fund described in subparagraph (A).

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 9741

Title 22 — Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60