CARACAS, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Venezuela's Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace Nestor Reverol announced Thursday that 121 people had been arrested on suspicion of illegal currency exchange.
In a press conference, Reverol said an investigation about currency manipulation had been underway in 10 states across the country, with a total of 4,733 businesses being fined.
He said the inspection led to the freezing of 65 bank accounts for irregular practices, with hundreds more being investigated, and the army also seized 260 million bolivars (78,000 U.S. dollars).
However, Reverol announced that limits on financial transactions had been alleviated, allowing people to withdraw more money from ATMs or transfer electronically.
Venezuela is suffering a severe shortage of bank notes in recent weeks, limiting the ability of customers to pay in cash at shops and forcing them to pay electronically or use debit cards.
