LONDON Holders of defaulted debt issued by Venezuela and its state oil company said they made two filings in New York on Wednesday to validate an August agreement designed to "toll", or pause, the statute of limitations on claims.
Venezuela defaulted on roughly $60 billion worth of its international bonds in 2017. Its debt was issued under New York law, which effectively gives the holders six years to sue the country in the event of a default.
In August, bondholders said they backed an offer by the country's opposition-led National Assembly to push back the legal deadline.
In a statement overnight, the Venezuela Creditor Committee said it had submitted a claim for the debt along with other creditors and in coordination with the Asset Protection Committee (APC) and the ad hoc administrative board of state-oil firm Petroleos de Venezuela.
They then asked the court to terminate those proceedings while keeping creditors' rights to sue intact until the end of 2028.
"These filings seek to ensure the enforceability of the announcement made in August of this year ... tolling the statute of limitations and prescription periods applicable to the Bonds and related enforcement actions until December 31, 2028," the Venezuela Creditor Committee said in an emailed statement. "Absent this cooperative solution reached in coordination with the APC and the Ad Hoc Board, bondholders’ fiduciary obligations may have required initiating extensive and costly direct litigation against Venezuela and PDVSA."
International funds including Fidelity, T. Rowe Price, Mangart Capital Advisors, Greylock Capital Management and GMO have long been part of the creditor committee.
(Reporting by Karin Strohecker. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
