Latin America

Latin American and Caribbean countries have signed almost 700 investment agreements. They have been targeted in almost 300 investor-state disputes.

Argentina has faced almost 62 ISDS cases, about 6% of all cases, making it the world’s most targeted state. Venezuela and Mexico have been among the ten most frequent respondents in the world, with 51 and 33 cases, respectively.

Many key cases such as Renco vs. Peru, Chevron vs. Ecuador or Pac Rim vs. El Salvador have originated in significant environmental damages caused by corporations. Philip Morris took an ISDS case against Uruguay over its anti-tobacco law.

Chile, Mexico and Peru are also party to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with eight other Pacific Rim states. The TPP includes an investor-state dispute mechanism that undermines public-interest ‘safeguards’.

The most well-known cases ISDS cases in the region include:

Chevron (US) vs. Ecuador: For 26 years, Texaco, later acquired by Chevron, performed oil operations in Ecuador. Ecuadorian courts found that during that period the company dumped billions of gallons of toxic water and dug hundreds of open-air oil sludge pits in Ecuador’s Amazon, poisoning the communities of some 30,000 Amazon residents. After a legal battle spanning two decades, in November 2013, Ecuador’s highest court ordered the corporation to pay $9.5 billion to provide desperately needed clean-up and health care to afflicted indigenous communities. Chevron challenged the decisions produced by Ecuador’s domestic legal system before an ISDS tribunal. In 2018, the arbitration tribunal held that the $9.5 billion judgment was fraudulent, violated international public policy and should not be recognised or enforced by the courts of other States. The amount of the award has not been established yet. (Ecuador-United States BIT invoked)

Occidental Petroleum Corporation “Oxy” (US) vs. Ecuador: in 2012 Ecuador was ordered to pay US$1.77 billion to the investor, an oil exploration and production company, for breach of contract. Sentence was reduced to US$1 billion in November 2015 (Ecuador-United States BIT invoked).

Investors vs. Argentina: When Argentina froze its utility rates in response to its 2001-2002 financial crisis, it was hit by over 40 lawsuits from investors, including Suez & Vivendi (France), Sociedad General de Aguas de Barcelona S.A (Spain) and Anglian Water (UK). The ISDS tribunal concluded that Argentina had breached the investors’ right to fair and equitable treatment. By 2014, the country had been ordered to pay a total of US$980 million (various BITs invoked).

Photo: Sairen42 / CC BY-SA 3.0

(April 2020)

IISD | 9-Jan-2023
The tribunal rejected Bolivia’s objection on jurisdiction and, on the merits, found that Bolivia had breached the FET standard and the prohibition to adopt arbitrary measures. BBVA was awarded USD 94.8 million in damages.
Swissinfo.ch | 6-Jan-2023
El Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas informó este jueves de que resolvió con la compañía francesa Perenco un plan para cumplir con el pago establecido en el laudo arbitral, "poniendo fin a una disputa histórica originada en administraciones pasadas por irrespeto a la institucionalidad".
Cooperativa.cl | 6-Jan-2023
En una carta enviada a La Moneda, se advirtie que el fallo de la Suprema que ordenó a las isapres aplicar la nueva tabla de factores y restituir cobros extra "podría afectar de manera irremediable la atención y acceso a la salud de millones de beneficiarios".
Lexology | 2-Jan-2023
In a settlement agreement, Guatemala agreed to pay approximately US$46 million to Teco Holdings LLC, in order to conclude the investment arbitration that the company filed against Guatemala in November 2010.
CIAR Global | 19-Dec-2022
A principios de noviembre de 2022, el Grupo Próspera informó de la reclamación de 10.775 millones de dólares por daños y perjuicios ante la eliminación de las ZEDE.
La Jornada | 19-Dec-2022
México no tiene “muchas vulnerabilidades” para 2023. Sin embargo, la controversia en materia de libre comercio en el sector energético amenaza con minar el ánimo de inversión productiva, lo cual compromete el crecimiento y el empleo en el país, alertó Alonso Cervera, economista en jefe para América Latina de Credit Suisse.
LexLatin | 15-Dec-2022
The Bank of Nova Scotia (Scotiabank) presentó ante el Centro Internacional de Arreglo de Diferencias Relativas a Inversiones (CIADI) una demanda arbitral contra Perú por el cobro de los intereses moratorios de una disputa fiscal que data de hace 15 años y que ascienden a 126 millones de dólares (428 millones de soles al 13 de diciembre).
La Jornada | 15-Dec-2022
La Secretaría de Economía (SE) ajustó la fecha en que se dará a conocer el fallo sobre el panel de controversia que interpuso México en materia de reglas de origen de la industria automotriz bajo el Tratado México, Estados Unidos y Canadá (T-MEC).