Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido accused President Nicolas Maduro on Monday of trying to illicitly transfer up to USD 1.2 billion from public coffers to a bank in Uruguay.

He said Maduro was seeking to move the money from the Venezuelan Economic and Social Development Bank to Uruguay and called on the Montevideo government "not to lend itself to stealing".

"We are talking about between USD 1 billion and USD 1.2 billion dollars," said Guaido, who was recognized as Venezuela's interim president Monday by more than 15 European states.

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