Venezuela says IMF has not delivered COVID-19 funds amid dispute

FILE PHOTO: Venezuela's Vice President Delcy Rodriguez addresses the media at the Miraflores Palace, in Caracas, Venezuela September 22, 2021. REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said on Wednesday that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has not yet delivered funds under a program to help countries battle the COVID-19 pandemic, amid a dispute over the government's legitimacy.

In August, the IMF authorized Venezuela to receive around $5 billion in Special Drawing Rights (SDR) as part of a $650 billion global effort to boost liquidity for the world's most vulnerable countries, but said it could not use them (https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/guaido-says-venezuelas-access-imf-sdrs-be-part-political-talks-2021-09-14) because of questions about whether President Nicolas Maduro or opposition leader Juan Guaido was the rightful leader.