YPF Plaintiffs Embark on ‘Treasure Hunt’ for Argentine Gold

A lawyer representing former YPF SA shareholders told a judge in New York that they’re on a “treasure hunt” for gold bars Argentina’s central bank secretly sent abroad last year.

The shareholders, backed by litigation funding firm Burford Capital, are trying to collect on a $16 billion court judgment resulting from the nation’s 2012 nationalization of YPF. US District Judge Loretta Preska ruled Tuesday that Argentina needed to turn over relevant text messages and emails from Economy Minister Luis Caputo and others.

Seth Levine, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said at the hearing before Preska that locating the ...