BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The fate of Argentina’s state-run oil company was thrown into doubt Monday as a U.S. judge ordered the cash-strapped country to give up its 51% controlling stake in YPF in partial compensation for seizing the shares of former investors during its 2012 nationalization of the energy group.
The ruling — a dramatic effort to enforce a $16 billion U.S. court judgement against Argentina — presents a new headache for libertarian President Javier Milei, the ideological foil for left-wing former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner who oversaw Argentina’s contentious takeover of YPF and ensuing legal battles during her tenure (2007-2015). Milei vowed to appeal the ruling.