Outer Temple barristers appear in four cases before the Islamic Development Bank Administrative Tribunal

Following successful appeals before the Islamic Development Bank Group Administrative Tribunal (“IsDBGAT” or “Tribunal”) in 2022 (see below), members of OTC’s International Organisations Team have been instructed in four cases before the IsDBGAT.

The team have been instructed before the IsDBGAT in its October docket (11^th to 23^rd).  The Tribunal will sit en banc with judges from Tunisia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Senegal and Malaysia.

• Victoria Brown represents the Applicant in a case against the Islamic Development Bank (“IsDB”)
• Alex Haines and Victoria Brown represent the Applicant in a case against the Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (“ICIEC”).
• Alex Haines and Victoria Brown represent the Applicant in a case against the Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (“ICD”).
• Alex Haines and Joshua Hitchens represent the Applicant in a case against the CIEC.

All four cases will be heard in the IsDBG headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

2022 cases

In Summer 2022, Alex Haines and Courtney Step-Marsden were successful in the first ever hearing (on interim relief) before the IsDBG’s newly established Administrative Tribunal.  In December 2022, Alex Haines and Victoria Brown were successful in the first ever in-person trial before the IsDBGAT.

The IsDBGAT

The IsDBGAT, operational from early 2022, hears cases brought by international civil servants who work at the IsDBG which is comprised of the Islamic Development Bank (“IsDB”), Islamic Research & Training Institute (“IRTI”), Islamic Corporation for Development of the Private Sector (“ICD”), Islamic Corporation for Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (“ICIEC”), and International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (“ITFC”).

The Administrative Tribunal is a judicial body that functions independently of the IsDBG; its independence is guaranteed in its Statute and Rules of Procedure adopted in June 2020 and February 2022 respectively. The Tribunal is composed of five members, all of whom are nationals of member states of one or more of the IsDBG institutions.  Unusually for international judicial bodies of international organisations, Sharia applies (as well as the institutional texts of the organisation and international administrative law).

International Organisations Law

Members of the OTC International Organisations Law Team have been instructed before the following international tribunals and bodies:

• World Bank Administrative Tribunal (Washington DC)
• United Nations Appeals Tribunal (New York)
• United Nations Dispute Tribunal (New York)
• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Administrative Tribunal (London)
• International Labour Organisation Administrative Tribunal (Geneva)
• International Monetary Fund Administrative Tribunal (Washington DC)
• Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (London)
• Inter-American Development Bank Administrative Tribunal (Washington DC)
• Black Sea Trade and Development Bank Administrative Tribunal (Thessaloniki)
• Asian Development Bank Administrative Tribunal (Manila)
• General Court of the European Union (Luxembourg)
• African Union Administrative Tribunal (Addis Ababa)
• Islamic Development Bank Group Administrative Tribunal (Jeddah)
• Pan American Health Organisation Board of Appeal (Washington DC)
• European Investment Bank Appeals Panel (Luxembourg)
• International Maritime Organisation Staff Appeals Board (London)
• International Renewable Energy Agency Joint Appeals Board (Abu Dhabi)

Find out more

Alex Haines is called to both the English and Irish Bars and is a US-qualified attorney admitted to the NY Bar. He is a dual national, fluent in French and Spanish, specialist in international law and sanctions with rare expertise in international organisations law. He was appointed to the Attorney General’s London B Panel in 2019 and as Sanctions Officer at the Caribbean Development Bank in 2020. The cases he has been instructed in have involved more than 35 International Organisations including the World Bank Group, IMF, OAS and UN (including its specialised agencies and funds). He is ranked in Chambers and Partners for Sanctions and Legal 500 for Business and Regulatory Crime (including global investigations).

Victoria Brown is a civil and chancery practitioner with a particular focus on pensions and employment. Victoria also has significant international experience, and has appeared before the World Bank Administrative Tribunal and the Organisation of American States Administrative Tribunal. She has run cases in the Islamic Development Bank AT, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development AT, and International Labour Organisation AT. Victoria was appointed to the Attorney General’s C Panel of Civil Counsel in October 2020 and is recognised by both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500.

Josh Hitchens acts in high-profile and high value disputes across commercial and public law. He is ranked for Administrative and Public Law in both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500. He has advised on or acted in International Organisations Law Disputes involving the United Nations, International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Islamic Development Bank. 

Courtney Step-Marsden’s core practice includes Employment Law, Pensions Law, Public Law, Court of Protection, Education,  and commercial work.  She has a particular interest in discrimination cases, both in the employment and non-employment spheres.  She has also appeared as Junior Counsel in the Court of Appeal.  

News 3 Oct, 2023