Gas Tycoon Charif Souki Owes Lenders $100 Million, Judge Rules

Energy tycoon Charif Souki, who used his luxury ranch outside Aspen and shares of a liquefied natural gas export company he co-founded as collateral for personal loans, owes lenders at least $100 million, a Texas bankruptcy judge ruled.

Judge Christopher Lopez denied Souki’s claims that his lenders, including a fund managed by UBS O’Connor LLC, undermined efforts to retire his personal debt by destroying the value of the ranch and selling shares of his LNG export company, Tellurian Inc., at unreasonably low prices.

Monday’s ruling is a setback for Souki, who put the Aspen ranch into Chapter ...