The Special Commissioners concluded that under an arrangement whereby the respondent ("SPI") granted an option to Citibank International PLC ("Citibank") to acquire governments bonds at an exercise price equal to 90% of the face amount, and Citibank granted an option to SPI to acquire identical government bonds at an exercise price of 70% of their face amount, each option should be treated as separate because there was a commercially realistic (albeit quite unlikely) possibility that the option granted by Citibank to SPI would not be exercised (i.e., that the bonds would fall in price below 90% of their face amount).
The Court concluded that in applying the Ramsay principle the composite effect of the arrangement should be considered as the scheme was intended to operate without regard to the contingency that one of the options might not be exercised. Accordingly, it was held that Citibank did not have an "entitlement" to the property covered by its option.