Counsel, ICSID Arbitration, ARB/22/23 Tayeb Benabderrahmane v. The State of Qatar

CASE NAME

Tayeb Benabderrahmane v. State of Qatar (ICSID Case No. ARB/22/23)

SUMMARY

ICSID arbitration involving alleged detention and investment treaty claims

STATUS

Ongoing

AT STAKE

Treaty protections dispute

DETAILS

Sean Ekhlas represents the claimant in treaty claims for investment protection.

WHAT IS THE CASE ABOUT?

Tayeb Benabderrahmane v. State of Qatar (ICSID Case No. ARB/22/23) is an investor-state arbitration in Paris, France, administered by the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) under the France-Qatar Bilateral Investment Treaty signed on 8 July 1996 and the ICSID Convention. The claimant, Mr. Tayeb Benabderrahmane, a French national, alleges that measures taken by Qatar in connection with his arrest, detention, searches, and seizure of his investments and assets violated protections available under the treaty framework.

As legal counsel for the claimant in an ICSID arbitration, Sean Ekhlas acts as counsel for the claimant in this proceeding, representing Mr. Benabderrahmane alongside Luke Vidal at SLV Partners (Paris) before a tribunal composed of Ms. Lucinda A. Low,  Professor Andreas Bucher, and Mr. Makhdoom Ali Khan. The representation concerns issues of international investment law arising under the France-Qatar BIT and the ICSID Convention framework.

According to publicly available procedural materials, the arbitration commenced on 22 August 2022 and has since involved disputes concerning applicable procedural rules, document production, third-party funding disclosures, confidentiality issues, provisional measures, and jurisdictional objections. Following the completion of written submissions, the parties participated in hearings on jurisdiction and merits in Paris between 27 April and 1 May 2026. The proceedings remain pending before the tribunal.

OUR ROLE IN THE PROCEEDINGS

Sean Ekhlas acts as counsel for the claimant, Mr. Tayeb Benabderrahmane, in this ongoing investor-state arbitration administered by ICSID in Paris, France. Working alongside SLV Partners in Paris, the representation involves addressing procedural and substantive issues arising under the France-Qatar BIT and the ICSID Convention framework.

The matter includes issues relating to jurisdiction, treaty protections, procedural applications, documentary evidence, and questions concerning the definition and treatment of an alleged protected investment. As one of the claimant’s legal counsel in an ICSID arbitration, Sean Ekhlas represents the claimant before the tribunal throughout written submissions, procedural stages, and hearings while addressing legal and factual issues arising during the course of the arbitration. The proceedings remain ongoing, and no final determination has been issued by the tribunal.

MORE INFO

Pending ICSID arbitration involving investment treaty protections and procedural issues. Case information drawn from the public ICSID case database (icsid.worldbank.org).