Gold Reserve Announces Portugal Court Enters Judgment Against Venezuela Confirming Arbitration Award Valued in Excess of $1.1 Billion

Rhea-AI Summary

Gold Reserve (GDRZF) has achieved a significant legal victory as the Lisbon Court of Appeal confirmed its arbitration award against Venezuela. The court entered a judgment of $713,032,000 plus pre-award interest of $22,299,576, post-award interest at LIBOR plus 2% (compounded annually from September 2014), and $5 million in legal fees.

The total judgment now exceeds $1.1 billion. The company has secured attachment orders on multiple Portuguese bank accounts totaling over $1.4 billion. However, recovery remains uncertain due to various factors, including required additional court orders and attachment priority issues.

This enforcement effort runs parallel to proceedings in the United States, including participation in the sales process of PDV Holdings (PDVH), CITGO Petroleum Corp's indirect parent company. Any recovery from either jurisdiction will offset the amount recoverable in the other.

Positive

• Court judgment confirms arbitration award worth over $1.1 billion
• Successfully obtained attachment orders on $1.4 billion in Portuguese bank accounts
• Multiple recovery paths through both Portuguese and U.S. legal systems

Negative

• Recovery of funds remains uncertain due to legal complexities
• Company faces competition from other creditors for priority claims
• Additional court orders required before accessing attached funds

PEMBROKE, Bermuda--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Gold Reserve Ltd. (TSX.V: GRZ) (OTCQX: GDRZF) (“Gold Reserve” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce an important development in its ongoing efforts to recognize and enforce its arbitral award dated September 22, 2014 (the “Award”) against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (“Venezuela”).

On February 20, 2025, the Lisbon Court of Appeal issued an Order granting the Company’s application to confirm the Award in Portugal, and entered judgment for the Company against Venezuela in the amount of $713,032,000 plus (i) pre-award interest in the amount of $22,299,576, (ii) post-award interest on the total amount awarded, inclusive of pre-award interest, at a rate of LIBOR plus 2%, compounded annually, from September 22, 2014, until payment in full; and (iii) $5 million in legal fees and costs (collectively, the “Judgment”).

The total amount of Judgment at present, inclusive of interest, exceeds $1.1 billion.

The Judgment supports the Company’s ongoing efforts to enforce the Award in Portugal. In connection therewith, the Company has obtained attachment orders against multiple bank accounts in Portugal holding in total more than $1.4 billion. Recovery is not certain in the Portugal legal proceedings due to multiple factors. Among other considerations, further court orders are required to attempt to collect against any of the attached funds, and the priority of the Company’s attachments on each bank account is not identical and is not definite, as is the priority of the Company’s attachments vis-à-vis other creditors.

The Company’s recognition and enforcement efforts in Portugal are in addition to those being undertaken in the United States, including the Company’s ongoing participation in the sales and bidding procedures established by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware for the sale of the shares of PDV Holdings, Inc. (“PDVH”), the indirect parent company of CITGO Petroleum Corp. Any recovery in the Delaware proceedings will offset the amount that can be recovered on the Award in the Portugal legal proceedings, and vice versa.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking statements

This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable U.S. federal securities laws and “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian provincial and territorial securities laws and state Gold Reserve’s and its management’s intentions, hopes, beliefs, expectations or predictions for the future. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by management at this time, are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. They are frequently characterized by words such as "anticipates", "plan", "continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed", "positioned" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the Bid.

We caution that such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other risks that may cause the actual events, outcomes or results of Gold Reserve to be materially different from our estimated outcomes, results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements, including but not limited to: the Judgment is subject to appeal by Venezuela; the Company may not succeed in collecting against any of the funds attached in Portugal; further court orders are required to attempt to collect against any of the funds that are attached in Portugal; the priority of the Company’s attachments on each bank account in Portugal is not identical and is not definite, the priority of the Company’s attachments in Portugal vis-à-vis other creditors is not identical and is not definite; regulatory approvals may be required to collect on any funds in Portugal, and the existence of such approvals cannot be assured; in the Delaware proceedings, the discretion of the Special Master to consider the Bid, to enter into any discussions or negotiation with respect thereto and that the Special Master may reject the Bid at any time; the Special Master may choose not to recommend a Stalking Horse Bid or Final Bid to the Court; the failure of the Company to negotiate the Bid, including as a result of failing to obtain sufficient equity and/or debt financing; that Bid submitted by the Company will not be selected as the “Stalking Horse Bid” or the “Final Recommend Bid” under the Bidding Procedures, and if selected may not close due to the Sale Process not being completed, including as a result of not obtaining necessary regulatory approval to close on the purchase of the PDVH shares, including but not limited to any necessary approvals from the U.S. Office of Foreign Asset Control (“OFAC”), the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission or the TSX Venture Exchange; failure of the Company or any other party to obtain any required shareholders approvals for, or satisfy other conditions to effect, any transaction resulting from the Bid; that the Company forfeit any cash amount deposit made due to failing to complete the Bid or otherwise; that the making of the Bid or any transaction resulting therefrom may involve unexpected costs, liabilities or delays; that, prior to or as a result of the completion of any transaction contemplated by the Bid, the business of the Company may experience significant disruptions due to transaction related uncertainty, industry conditions or other factor; the ability to enforce the writ of attachment granted to the Company; the timing set for various reports and/or other matters with respect to the Sale Process may not be met; the ability of the Company to otherwise participate in the Sale Process (and related costs associated therewith; the amount, if any, of proceeds associated with the Sale Process; the competing claims of other creditors of Venezuela, PDVSA and the Company, including any interest on such creditors’ judgements and any priority afforded thereto; uncertainties with respect to possible settlements between Venezuela and other creditors and the impact of any such settlements on the amount of funds that may be available under the Sale Process; and the proceeds from the Sale Process may not be sufficient to satisfy the amounts outstanding under the Company’s September 2014 arbitral award and/or corresponding November 15, 2015 U.S. judgement in full; and the ramifications of bankruptcy with respect to the Sale Process and/or the Company’s claims, including as a result of the priority of other claims. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company’s forward-looking statements. For a more detailed discussion of the risk factors affecting the Company’s business, see the Company’s Annual Information Form on Form 40-F and Management’s Discussion & Analysis for the year ended December 31, 2024 and other reports that have been filed on SEDAR+ and are available under the Company’s profile at www.sedarplus.ca and which have been filed on EDGAR and are available under the Company’s profile at www.sec.gov/edgar.

Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All subsequent written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to Gold Reserve or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this notice. Gold Reserve disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking statements or the foregoing list of assumptions or factors, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, subject to its disclosure obligations under applicable rules promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and applicable Canadian provincial and territorial securities laws.

NEITHER THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER (AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN POLICIES OF THE TSX VENTURE EXCHANGE) ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250224544102/en/

For further information regarding Gold Reserve Ltd., please contact:

Rosebank Centre, 5th Floor, 11 Bermudiana Road, Pembroke HM 08, Bermuda

investorrelations@goldreserve.bm

Source: Gold Reserve Ltd.

FAQ

What is the total value of Gold Reserve's (GDRZF) court judgment against Venezuela?

The total judgment exceeds $1.1 billion, comprising $713,032,000 in principal, $22,299,576 in pre-award interest, post-award interest at LIBOR plus 2%, and $5 million in legal fees.

How much money has GDRZF secured through attachment orders in Portugal?

Gold Reserve has obtained attachment orders against multiple bank accounts in Portugal holding more than $1.4 billion in total.

What are the main challenges for GDRZF in collecting the Venezuela judgment?

The main challenges include obtaining additional court orders, establishing priority over other creditors, and navigating competing claims in both Portuguese and U.S. legal systems.

How does GDRZF's Portugal enforcement relate to its U.S. legal proceedings?

Any recovery in the U.S. Delaware proceedings will offset the amount recoverable in Portugal, and vice versa, as part of the company's dual-jurisdiction enforcement strategy.