On April 19, 2023, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued General License (GL) 5K, “Authorizing Certain Transactions Related to the Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. 2020 8.5 Percent Bond on or After July 20, 2023,” which continues to delay U.S. persons’ ability to enforce bondholder rights to the CITGO shares serving as collateral for the Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA) 2020 8.5% bond until on or after July 20, 2023. The previous deadline had been April 20, 2023. Effective April 19, 2023, this GL replaces GL 5J.
With this revised General License, U.S. persons remain prohibited until July 20, 2023 from engaging in any transactions related to the sale or transfer of CITGO shares in connection with the PdVSA 2020 8.5% Bond unless specifically authorized by OFAC. In the modified FAQ 595, OFAC notes a favorable licensing policy toward those seeking to apply for a specific license in an effort to reach an agreement on proposals to “restructure or refinance payments due to the holders of the PdVSA 2020 8.5% bond.”