Gustavo-Adolfo Vargas R

Gustavo-Adolfo's career at Arias dates back to 2003, to be part of the Corporate department. His transactional practice includes the structuring and preparation of documents for complex transactions, often involving matters in the areas of Corporate Law and Minority Rights, real estate, regulatory issues and other complex legal issues.

His professional experience includes having worked two and a half years in Washington D.C. (2010-212), in the legal division of the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IIC), member of the IDB group, where he was part of the team of lawyers in charge of advising on financing for projects in the form of direct loans and capital investments and lines of credit to local financial intermediaries, as well as investments in local and regional investment funds throughout the entire Latin American and Caribbean region.

He has advised banks as well as international financial institutions and multilateral institutions in the granting of financing and guarantees, including the structuring and negotiation of contracts. He has also participated in numerous local and regional mergers and acquisitions in industries as diverse as telecommunications, mining, hospitality and restaurants, and energy. Likewise, he has represented national and foreign investors in the acquisition of real estate, as well as in the structuring of commercial transactions of a varied nature. He was made partner in 2014.

• Gustavo Vargas acted as a local counsel to the lender, in the negotiation, structure, and formalities for executing of a line of credit. Our client provided a $10 million line of credit to a shrimp farming company located in a Free Trade Zone in Nicaragua
• Gustavo advices a leading provider of cable, mobile, and high-speed broadband services, dedicated to markets in Latin America
• Gustavo Adolfo was part of the team advising CMI Energía, one of the largest renewable energy businesses in Latin America, focusing on wind, solar and hydro technologies, in a Green Bond Issuance and a Loan facility Agreement secured by shares. The proceeds of the bond will be used to finance green projects in the categories of renewable energy, energy efficiency, green buildings, and clean transportation. CMI Energía anticipates that this bond will help execute its sustainability priorities and support the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The transaction involved a combination of (i) US$700 million 6.25% Senior Secured Notes due 2029 (the Notes) issued by Investment Energy Resources Limited (IERL), and (ii) a US$300 million loan (the Loan Facility) provided to IERL by a syndicate of Central American banks. Both the Notes and the Loan Facility are guaranteed by operating subsidiaries of IERL (the Guarantors) and are secured by a pledge of CMI's common stock in the Guarantors.
• Gustavo assisted Equinor with the negotiation, drafting and signing of amendments to 4 concession contracts signed with the State of Nicaragua for the exploration and exploitation of an area of about 16,000 km2 in the offshore Nicaragua´s Pacific coast. These amendments are relevant as they modify key terms and conditions concerning operations and activities under each of the 4 concession contracts that were affected due to the COVID-10 pandemic. Furthermore, the amendments came after a recent law creating the National Company for the Exploration and Exploitation of Hydrocarbons (ENIH) was passed, whereby ENIH was to hold all the rights of the Nicaraguan Oil Company (Petronic), including the rights of the concession contracts to be amended.
• Such changes in the Nicaraguan legal framework added another level of complexity to the transactions, as it was the first where the Nicaraguan regulator approved the amendment with Petronic leaving the concession contracts and ENIH entering into it.

• M&A
• Restructuring and insolvency

• Consumer goods and services
• Energy
• Oil and gas
• Real estate
• Technology and telecommunications

• Admitted to practice law in Nicaragua

• International Bar Association (IBA)

• Law Degree at the American University (UAM), Managua, Nicaragua.
• Incorporated before the Supreme Court of Justice of Nicaragua as a Lawyer and Notary Public.
• Master of Laws (LLM) with an emphasis in Business and Corporate Law from Northwestern University School of Law, Chicago, IL.