The total number of arbitration cases filed before CRCICA until 31 March 2017 reached 1180 cases. In the first quarter of 2017,19 new arbitration cases were filed compared to 16 cases filed in the same quarter in 2016.
CRCICA’s caseload, in the first quarter of 2017, involve construction, real estate, media and entertainment, hotel management, brokerage and sports disputes. Assignment agreement as well as agreements of lease, settlement, sale and shipment transactions are also involved.
Disputes arising out of construction contracts rank on top, standing for 42% out of the total referrals of the first quarter (8/19). The subject-matter of the first case is the establishment of 40 housing units in a residential project in the Six of October City, Giza, Egypt, whilst the second one relates to the erection of the third phase for a club in Alexandria, Egypt. The third one pertains to the renovation of the main hall, the workers’ cafeteria and the first floor offices of a hotel located in Maadi, Cairo, Egypt. Two other construction cases relate to license agreements concluded to build and develop an industrial zone in the Six of October City, Giza, Egypt. The sixth construction case relates to designing, furnishing, delivering, erecting and testing civil works for transformers factory project in Badr City, Egypt. The seventh case pertains to a contract for the execution of exterior marble finishes for building facades in Zamalek, Cairo, Egypt. The eighth construction case relates to the implementation of mechanical and electrical works for a cement factory in Bani Sweif, Egypt.
Two real estate cases were filed during the first quarter of 2017, the first of which relates to a sale of an administrative unit in Cairo while the second case pertains to a usufruct of a desert area for the establishment, construction and operation of desalination plants required for land reclamation.
It is worth noting that the first quarter of 2017 witnessed the filing of a purely international case arising out of an assignment agreement related to two concessions contracts concluded between two parties from the Middle East and North America, as well as a sports-related dispute concerning a representation contract between an intermediary and a football player.
The remaining cases involve various types of contracts. The first one relates to a brokerage contract concluded between an Egyptian brokerage company and a non – Egyptian party. The second one relates to a hotel management contract concerning a hotel located in Sharks Bay, Sharm El Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt. The third case relates to a lease agreement concerning renting and operating the Batch plant of Smart Concrete. The fourth case relates to a settlement agreement concerning settlement and repayment of some due amounts from an Egyptian company. The fifth case relates to a sale of rig agreement and its associated materials and equipment at Abu Zenima in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt. The sixth case relates to a shipment agreement for freight forwarding services. The seventh case relates to media and entertainment, and involves a license contract for the exclusive commercial exploitation of advertising rights.
The following pie chart shows a breakdown of the types of disputed contracts during the first quarter of 2017:
In the first quarter of 2017, arbitration proceedings involved parties from different countries including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the Netherland, India and Barbados Island.
The following pie chart shows a breakdown of the nationalities of non-Egyptian parties during the first quarter of 2017:
The first quarter of 2017 witnessed the appointment of arbitrators coming from Egypt, France and Lebanon.
The following pie chart shows a breakdown of the nationalities of non-Egyptian arbitrators during the first quarter of 2017:
From among the 19 cases filed during the first quarter, there are 15 cases where Arabic is the language of the arbitral proceedings while English is the applicable language in the other four cases.
The following pie chart shows a breakdown of the languages used in the proceedings during the first quarter of 2017:
