24 January 2025

Two defendant states, Spain and Zimbabwe, who challenged the registration in English courts of arbitration awards made against them, came a cropper in the Court of Appeal last year. Writing in this week’s NLJ, international arbitration specialists Neil Newing, partner, and Pietro Grassi, senior associate, at Signature Litigation, explore the ruling in the combined case and its implications.
In brief, the court held the two states had waived their immunity and therefore could not challenge the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) awards.
Newing and Grassi write that the decision is welcome, and ‘once again demonstrates the English court’s favourable approach to arbitration and its desire to preserve the finality and effectiveness of arbitral awards’.RELATED ARTICLES