header-logo header-logo

30 July 2021 / Mark Buckley
Issue: 7943 / Categories: Features , Arbitration , Procedure & practice
printer mail-detail

International arbitration & public policy: taming the unruly horse

53854
Mark Buckley examines the setting aside of international arbitration awards for reasons of public policy
  • In an important judgment, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has held that the Supreme Court of Mauritius was not entitled to review the decision of an arbitrator as to the legality of a contract under Mauritian public procurement laws.

As far back as 1824, Burrough J said: ‘Public policy is a very unruly horse, and when you get astride, you never know where it will carry you,’ in his judgment in Richardson v Mellish (1824) 2 Bing 229, [1824-34] All ER Rep 258. Nearly 200 years later, in an important judgment of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council on 14 June 2021 in Betamax Ltd v State Trading Corp (Mauritius) [2021] UKPC 14, [2021] All ER (D) 77 (Jun), the horse has been well and truly tamed.

The case is important because it concerns the extent to which a court can set aside or refuse to enforce

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft—Clare Dewar

DAC Beachcroft strengthens Scottish real estate capabilitywith partner appointment

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson—Brendan Ryan

Womble Bond Dickinson appoints Brendan Ryan as partner in Public Law Projects team

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers—five appointments

Parklane Plowden Chambers welcomes five new barristers

NEWS
Pro bono is celebrating a silver anniversary, with initiatives putting businesses and students at the heart of access to justice
Choosing the wrong expert can cost a clinical negligence claimant more than their case
Judges risk weakening their own independence by staying silent over government reforms, a leading public lawyer argues
A discount on damages does not automatically mean an equivalent haircut for legal costs in military deafness claims
Police powers targeting concealed identities at protests come with procedural conditions that could determine whether prosecutions succeed
back-to-top-scroll