Argentina has formally appealed to the New York justice system the ruling handed down by district judge Thomas Griesa, which barred intermediary Citibank from processing US dollar denominated debt services issued under Argentine law and which expired on March 31.
New York judge Thomas Griesa on Wednesday barred Euroclear, the giant Belgium-based financial clearing and settlement house, from processing any debt payments by Argentina. In the newest step tightening Buenos Aires' avenues for avoiding paying off hedge funds on their bonds, Griesa forbade Euroclear from processing any payments received from any source in respect to Argentine bonds.
The New York Court of Appeals has decided to push back its decision on Argentina for another week, as the Cristina Fernandez administration seeks to overturn the contempt ruling imposed by judge Thomas Griesa in the ongoing conflict against holdout investors.
Paul Singer-controlled NML Capital said that the hedge fund, as well as other holders of Argentine debt, made a deal with Citibank regarding the legal dispute at New York courts over Argentine-law bonds.
A United States federal judge on Thursday said Citigroup Inc cannot process interest payments by Argentina on some bonds issued under that country's law. U.S. District Judge Thomas Griesa in Manhattan said letting Citigroup process the payments on so-called dollar-denominated exchange bonds would violate a requirement that Argentina treat bondholders equally.
The Argentine government will present on Thursday its appellant’s brief over the contempt of court ordered by New York Judge Thomas Griesa, the Economy Ministry has confirmed. Griesa had ruled Argentina in contempt of his orders due to working on a plan to shift control over payments of its restructured debt to Buenos Aires.
Lawyers representing the Argentine government and the Central Bank have defended the country's stance on the debt conflict in a hearing with the New York Second Circuit Appeals Court, rejecting the notion that holdout investors could confiscate reserves or assets belonging to the financial entity.
New York District judge Thomas Griesa has authorized Citibank to complete the transfer of 85 million dollars to holders of restructured Argentine bonds under Argentine law, meeting debt services that expire on December 31.
Argentina told New York district judge Thomas Griesa that bondholders filed 25 lawsuits since June, when the judge ordered blocking the country's from paying its restructured debt without also paying a group of holdouts, Bloomberg news has reported.
A London court gave Argentine holdout creditors in New York a two-week window on Thursday to challenge declarations sought by a powerful group of investors in a dispute over interest payments worth about 226 million Euros. The payments involve Euro-denominated Argentine bonds which were issued under English law.