Libertad frigate: Ghana judge rejects Argentina's bid to drop case

Ghana rejected today Argentina’s plea for Accra City’s Commercial Tribunal to drop the case that kept the Libertad navy training frigate impounded at Tema port since October 2nd.

The Libertad, a naval training vessel, was detained in Ghana’s eastern port of Tema on October 2 at the request of hedge fund NML Capital Ltd, which claims Argentina owes it over 300 million dollars on bonds in default since 2002.

Today, Ghana Judge Richard Adjei Frimpong, of the Commercial Tribunal in Accra City rejected the proposal put forward by the Argentine government’s legal representatives.

“It would be bad fate for this tribunal to put this through,” Frimpsong said, who explained that the initial part as an “unconditional” defendant was not able to be reversed.

Shortly after the decision was made known, President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was reported to have held an urgent meeting at the Olivos presidential residence with Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman, in order to discuss the issue.

The Foreign Ministry on Thursday last week informed the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea proposed November 29 and 30 as the days to hold the hearings between Argentina and Ghana over the seizure of the ARA Libertad Frigate at Ghana's Tema Port.

Earlier this month, Argentina filed a lawsuit against Ghana at the UN Tribunal of the Sea to demand the release of its Libertad training frigate, which has been stranded for six weeks in the African country due to a court order brought by bondholders.

http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/117471/libertad-frigate-ghana-judge-rejects-argentinas-bid-to-drop-case