Motion
BDT asks the Twelfth Civil Court to issue a letter rogatory to Guatemala compelling Villamorey to disclose the handling and current status of the $19,000,000.00 deposit at GTC Bank.
- Issued on
- May 28 2025
- Issued by
- BDT Investments Inc.
- Pages
- 2
BDT Investments Inc., through its counsel, asks the Twelfth Civil Court of Panama to issue an international letter rogatory to the competent judicial authorities of Guatemala, compelling Villamorey, S.A. to render a full accounting of the management, administration, and current status of the $19,000,000.00 deposit held at GTC Bank. The motion invokes Article 2(b) of the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory and notes that no precautionary measure remains in effect, as the attachment was lifted by of April 12, 2022. This filing accompanies the directed at GTC Bank, submitted the same date.
Analysis
Information Requested
The motion specifies in detail the information Villamorey must provide:
- Current status of the accounts linked to the $19,000,000.00 deposit, including the total amount currently available, the opening date, and the general terms of the financial instrument
- Whether the funds have been released, in whole or in part, to any natural or legal person, specifying the beneficiary's name, amount transferred, date, and method of payment
- Certified copy of the banking file for the account or accounts Villamorey holds or has held at GTC Bank
- Consolidated records of all transactions, including deposits, withdrawals, internal or international transfers, charges, and any other recorded movements
Legal Basis
- Article 2(b) of the Inter-American Convention on Letters Rogatory (Convención Interamericana sobre Exhortos o Cartas Rogatorias), which authorizes the obtaining of evidence and reports abroad through letters rogatory issued in civil proceedings between States Parties. The request constitutes a financial, banking, and documentary report directed at a company domiciled in Guatemala regarding funds whose administration is under judicial scrutiny in Panama. Guatemala has made no reservation to this provision, making its application direct and fully operative.
Procedural Context
BDT grounds the motion on the absence of any legal impediment to Villamorey's disclosure obligation. , of April 12, 2022, lifted the attachment decreed by of December 12, 2012 over the funds Villamorey was to deliver to Lisa, S.A. from accounts at GTC Bank. That lifting was communicated to Villamorey through of January 2025, reiterating a prior notification from December 2022 (Official Notice No. 3409). No precautionary measure remains in effect that would prevent disclosure or the rendering of accounts.
This motion forms part of a pair of filings submitted simultaneously on May 28, 2025. The targets GTC Bank directly for account information, while the present filing addresses Villamorey as the account holder and administrator of the funds. Together, the two motions seek to foreclose any avenue by which the parties involved could evade the obligation to account for the $19,000,000.00.
Signatories
- Carlos De Icaza, Counsel for BDT Investments Inc.
Documents
10| Document | Date |
|---|---|
| Dec 12 2012 | |
| Apr 12 2022 | |
| Oct 1 2024 | |
| Jan 3 2025 | |
| Jan 3 2025 | |
| Jan 3 2025 | |
| Feb 3 2025 | |
| Feb 26 2025 | |
| May 28 2025 | |
| May 28 2025 |
