A UNITED NATIONS court today ordered the immediate release of an Argentine navy training ship and crew detained in Ghana two months ago at the request of an American hedge fund.
The ARA Libertad training ship was seized 2 October in the port of Tema as collateral for unpaid bonds dating from Argentina’s economic crisis a decade ago.
Argentina appealed to the Hamburg, Germany-based UN’s International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea for the ship’s release, arguing that as a warship the Libertad is immune from being seized.
In an expedited ruling that sided with Argentina’s argument, the court ordered that Ghana “forthwith and unconditionally release the frigate ARA Libertad” and ensure the ship and its crew can leave Ghanaian waters. It also ordered that the vessel should be resupplied as needed.
Detaining the ship was “a source of conflict that may endanger friendly relations among states,” the court said.
The ruling leaves untouched the parties’ rights to seek further international arbitration on the matter.
Ghana courts ordered the ship detained on a claim by Cayman Islands-based NML Capital Ltd. Its owner, American billionaire Paul Singer, leads a group demanding payment in full, plus interest, for dollar-based Argentine bonds bought at fire sale prices after Argentina’s 2001-2002 economic collapse forced a sharp devaluation of its currency.
The vast majority of bondholders accepted about 30 cents on the dollar years ago, and that is roughly what the holdouts led by Singer initially paid for the bonds.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say