Economy Minister Axel Kicillof confirmed the Argentine government will be filing a complaint against speculative or 'vulture' funds for seeking to seize the accounts of the Argentine embassy in Belgium, and the Argentine mission before the EU in Brussels, adding hedge funds are the most “despicable and repugnant” of the world financial system.
The Argentine government in a late release on Thursday strongly denied an 'inexact information' related to alleged embargos by speculative funds (or vulture funds) on bank accounts from the Argentine embassy and its staff, in Belgium, and said that the attempts to freeze 'embassy funds' are but a new extortion attempt and a clear procedure abuse which could be sanctioned by Belgian tribunals.
U.S. judge on Wednesday ruled that hedge funds suing over unpaid debt stemming from Argentina's 2002 default are entitled to details of a recent bond offering by Buenos Aires.
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.
Argentina’s central bank sent regulators to inspect Citibank's headquarters in Buenos Aires on Monday after the head of the branch was suspended amid a legal battle over Argentina's debt. Regulators are working to verify whether the bank was able to maintain normal operations following CEO Gabriel Ribisich's suspension last week, the government news agency Telam said.
Clearing houses Euroclear and Clearstream have closed trading bridges on some 9.4 billion of Argentine bonds issued under the country's law. The action will prevent Euroclear customers from settling their trades with Clearstream clients and vice versa, but will not affect trading between customers belonging to the same clearing company, the same source said.
Argentina's Economy Minister Axel Kicillof said on Wednesday a deal between Citigroup Inc and U.S. judge Thomas Griesa allowing the banking giant to process two Argentine debt payments violated the country's laws.
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.