Attorney General Anil Nandlall yesterday filed an appeal in the Full Court against Justice Gino Persaud’s ruling in favour of two companies seeking to enforce an arbitral ruling against Venezue-lan oil company, PDVSA, asking that the entire judgement be set aside since among other things it likely to affect the national security and national sovereignty of Guyana.
In his appeal the Attorney General also asked the that the respondents, whom he listed as ConocoPhillips Petrozuata BV, Venezuela Limited and ConocoPhillips Petrozuata BV, and PDVSA, Corpoguanipa and PDVSA Petroleo, be ordered to pay the costs in both the Full Court and the lower court.
Judge Persaud’s ruling had its genesis in an application by Phillips Petroleum Company Venezuela Limited and ConocoPhillips Petrozuata BV for the enforcement here of a 2019 arbitral ruling against PDVSA, Corpoguanipa and PDVSA Petroleo. Similar applications have been made in other Caribbean jurisdictions and granted. PDVSA has had years of commercial transactions with the Guyana Government and payments remain outstanding to it.