Cyprus has a familiar law for international arbitrations based on the 1985 UNCITRAL Model Law, courts supportive of arbitration, and it is a party to the New York Convention, thus facilitating the enforcement of Cyprus-seated awards around the world. Regulatory Framework International arbitrations in Cyprus are governed by the International Commercial Arbitration Law (Law No. […]
Cyprus Arbitration: Is Cyprus Liable under International Law?
Cyprus Arbitration: can depositors successfully sue Cyprus in international arbitration for the measures it took in 2013? In 2013, Cyprus introduced a number of measures to prevent its banks from becoming insolvent. Most notably, it introduced a bail-in measure whereby it converted depositors’ deposits into equity in banks. This brought new capital into banks, without […]
HULLEY ENTERPRISES LIMITED (CYPRUS) V. THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION (PCA CASE NO. AA226) – FINAL AWARD 18 July 2014
The Yukos group of companies, whose controlling shareholders were OAO Yukos Oil Company, Hulley Enterprises Limited (Cyprus), Yukos Universal Limited (Isle of Man) and Veteran Petroleum Limited (Cyprus), was supposed to benefit from tax exemptions. However, in 2002, these exemptions were revoked at the Closed Administrative Territorial Units (“ZATOs”). Then, starting in 2003, Yukos suffered […]
Contributory Fault And The Calculation Of Damages In Investment Arbitrations
The Yukos Arbitration, the largest arbitration award to date, provides insight into the manner in which contributory fault and the calculation of damages may be determined in investment arbitrations. The Arbitral Tribunal in the Yukos arbitration reduced the final amount to be awarded to Claimants by 25% for contributory fault because of their abuse of the […]
Can Russian Investors Initiate Arbitration Against Cyprus to Recover their Losses?
Many Russian depositors are facing losses of up to 40 percent in Cyprus, and are currently considering their legal options. Should one of these options be initiating an investment treaty arbitration against Cyprus for expropriation on the basis of the 1997 Russian Federation-Cyprus bilateral investment treaty, which is included here: IAA-Bilateral-Investment-Treaty-Between-Russia-and-Cyprus. Such a claim could most […]