Expropriation in investment arbitration concerns two notions: (1) each State’s right to exercise sovereignty over its territory and (2) each State’s obligation to respect properties belonging to foreigners. The first means that a State may, in special circumstances, expropriate a foreign investor’s property. The second means that the expropriation of foreign-held properties will only be […]
News
Ukraine’s ICJ Claim Against Russia Under the Genocide Convention
On February 26, 2022, Ukraine filed a claim against Russia before the International Court of Justice to institute proceedings in connection with the military operations commenced by the Russian Federation in Ukrainian territory on February 24.[1] The application is based on Article IX of the 1948 Genocide Convention,[2] according to which the International Court of […]
A Single Notice of Arbitration Validly Commenced an Arbitration Where There Were Multiple Contracts
The English Commercial Court dismissed a jurisdictional challenge under Section 67 of the Arbitration Act 1996 in LLC Agronefteprodukt v Ameropa AG [2021] EWHC 3473 (Comm) and held that a single Notice of Arbitration validly commenced an arbitration where there were two contracts, each containing a separate arbitration agreement. Background LLC Agronefteprodukt (the “Sellers”) agreed to sell […]
English Court Upholds Arbitration Award of Third-Party Funding Costs
In a decision dated 7 December 2021 in Tenke Fungurume Mining S.A. v Katanga Contracting Services S.A.S. [2021] EWHC 3301 (Comm) (“Tenke v. Katanga”), concerning a challenge under Section 68 of the 1996 Arbitration Act (the “Arbitration Act”) for serious irregularity, the English High Court upheld a 2021 London-seated, ICC arbitration Final Award, in which Tenke […]
Enforcement of a Foreign ICC Arbitration Award in France Despite Set-Aside Judgements in West Africa
On 11 January 2022, the Paris Court of Appeal agreed to enforce a contract-based ICC arbitration award, despite the final award being previously set aside by the domestic courts of the seat of arbitration, and the underlying contract also being annulled by a foreign court. While this result may be surprising in many jurisdictions, the […]
FIDIC Dispute Resolution Mechanism
In December 2017, the Fédération Internationale Des Ingénieurs-Conseils, more commonly known as FIDIC, released a revised version of the FIDIC Conditions of Contract (Second edition)(the “2017 FIDIC Contracts”),[1] introducing some notable changes to the dispute resolution mechanism in comparison to the well-worn 1999 edition.[2] The 2017 FIDIC Contracts maintain the already well known multi-tiered approach […]
International Arbitration in Jordan
International arbitration in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (“Jordan”) is governed by Law No. 31 of 2001 (the “Arbitration Law”). The Jordanian Arbitration Law has been amended several times since its entrance into force on 16 July 2001. The Jordanian Arbitration Law is largely based on the Egyptian Arbitration Act No. 27 of 1994 (“Egyptian […]
Fair and Equitable Treatment in Investment Arbitration
Fair and equitable treatment is a prominent standard of protection in investment arbitration disputes, which is present in most bilateral investment treaties (“BITs”).[1] The standard has evolved in post-World War II treaties. The 1948 Havana Charter for an International Trade Organization is said to be the first treaty to include “just and equitable treatment” for […]
Approach to Determining Law of the Arbitration Agreement Further Confirmed by UK Supreme Court
In Enka Insaat Ve Sanayi AS v OOO Insurance Company Chubb, the question of which law governed the validity and scope of an arbitration agreement arose before any arbitration had taken place. Then, in the UK Supreme Court judgment of Kabab-Ji SAL (Lebanon) v Kout Food Group (Kuwait) given on 17 October 2021, a similar […]
