Chavez Decrees Nationalization of Gold Industry

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez ordered the nationalization of the gold industry and gave companies 90 days to form joint ventures with the state as he seeks to boost control over the nation’s metals producers.

The government will hold at least 55 percent of any joint ventures, according to a decree in today’s Official Gazette. The decree sets a royalty rate of 10 percent to 13 percent and says that all Venezuelan gold production will be sold to the state.

Chavez first announced the nationalization of the industry and plans to repatriate Venezuela’s foreign gold reserves on Aug. 17. Petroleos de Venezuela SA, the state oil company, is forming joint ventures with both state and publicly traded companies to operate mines including Las Cristinas, which Chavez confiscated from Canada’s Crystallex International Corp.

Read the entire Bloomberg News article.