A judge sided with Argentina in its debt standoff on Wednesday, agreeing to let orders protecting creditors expire so that large U.S. hedge funds and smaller entities and people can be paid at least US$6.2 billion to satisfy settlements reached over the last month.
Daniel A. Pollack, Special Master appointed to preside over settlement negotiations between the Republic of Argentina and its “Holdout” Bondholders, this morning (29 February) issued the following statement:
Argentina and a group of hedge funds are nearing a deal that would pay investors about 70% of what they say they are owed, as the government moves closer to re-entering the global bond markets following its 2001 default.
Argentina is planning to issue an estimated 15bn dollars in bonds, with which to pay the bondholders involved in years of litigation, and thus abandon its default situation which impedes it from having access to global money markets. The news was released by the Argentine Ministry of Finance.
The administration of president Mauricio Macri is optimistic that Congress will lift the Padlock Law (Ley Cerrojo) clearing the way for Argentina’s long-standing dispute against so called speculative funds to be settled, Cabinet Chief Marcos Peña said.
The judge presiding over a long-running battle between Argentina and a group of New York hedge funds said on Friday that he would lift an injunction that had locked Argentina out of international markets, if certain conditions are met.
The court-appointed mediator in the bonds dispute says Argentina has reached a settlement with bondholders seeking about 1% of the US$10 billion being pursued by investors. Mediator Daniel Pollack announced on Tuesday in New York the deal in the class action case. The deal came nearly two weeks after he announced two of six leading bondholders settled claims for more than US$1 billion.
Hedge fund Aurelius Capital Management, one of the major creditors in the Argentine bond litigation who has not agreed to participate in a proposed $6.5 billion settlement, called Argentina's decision to return to court in the dispute baffling.
In the midst of ongoing negotiations in the United States courts between the administration of President Mauricio Macri and holdouts to reach an agreement, special master Daniel A. Pollack on Friday issued a statement reiterating “two major holdouts reached agreements in principle with Argentina to settle their claims.
While investors cheered progress on last week's arduous negotiations in New York between Argentine government officials and litigant investors, the administration of president Mauricio Macri still faces an uphill battle as it works to bring other holdouts on board.