Ben Amunwa covers an international commercial dispute over unconscious bias
Almazeedi v Penner and another (Cayman Islands) [2018] UKPC 3 concerned a distinguished former High Court judge, Mr Justice Cresswell, of the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. He was also a part-time judge in the Civil and Commercial Court of the Qatar Financial Centre but did not appear to have conducted any work for them nor drawn a salary from this appointment.
The dispute originates from a ten-year-long legal battle between various owners of a predominately Qatari owned business (BTU Power Company) in which several influential Qatari individuals were involved.
The Cayman Islands litigation
The Qatari shareholders had brought a winding-up petition in the Cayman Islands’ Grand Court with the purpose of relieving Mr Almazeedi of his role in managing the company.
During the proceedings, the parties traded various accusations of misconduct and Mr Almazeedi specifically alleged that he had been threatened with retaliation by shareholders, ‘for daring to stand up against the state of Qatar’.
The case came before Cresswell J who made the winding up order, eventually with the consent of all parties. He presided
