AIFC Court Chief Justice and IAC Chairman and lawyers present to Kazakhstan business community

The AIFC Court and IAC held public discussion sessions at their Astana premises with personal career and international dispute resolution insights and vision from the Rt. Hon. The Lord Burnett of Maldon, Chief Justice of the AIFC Court, and Mr. Thomas Krümmel, IAC Chairman.

First hand insight was also provided by Ms. Gulnur Nurkeyeva, Managing Partner and Head of the China Office at GRATA International, Mr. Sergey Vataev, Member of the IAC Panel of Arbitrators, and Mr. Bakhyt Tukulov, Managing Partner at Tukulov Kassilgov Shaikenov Disputes, as regular counsel representing investors in disputes at the AIFC Court and IAC, on the practical features of case management and the life of a case at the AIFC Court and IAC.

Mr. Krümmel commented:

“Young lawyers and arbitrators today receive outstanding training and development opportunities, including via the AIFC Court and IAC Training Centre, which would have been the envy of the legal community when I became a lawyer (…) A critical role of the IAC [and the AIFC Court] is to provide trust and confidence in the minds of investors and their lawyers that they will, and they do, consistently receive international standard commercial dispute resolution at the IAC [and AIFC Court] that is efficient, cost effective, and always results in swift enforcement of decisions”.

References:

The AIFC Court is an independent legal entity. It has its own procedural rules modelled on English common law procedures and leading international practice. The AIFC Court is separate and independent from the courts of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It consists of two tiers: a Court of First Instance, which includes a specialist division known as the Small Claims Court; and a Court of Appeal.  It has exclusive jurisdiction over disputes arising out of the activities and operations of the AIFC and jurisdiction in the case of other disputes in which all parties agree in writing to give the AIFC Court jurisdiction. It does not have jurisdiction in relation to disputes that are of a criminal or administrative nature. It applies the most up to date and efficient case management practices. https://court.aifc.kz/

The International Arbitration Centre (IAC) is an independent legal entity. It has its own procedural rules modelled on best international practice. It has its own panel of leading international arbitrators and mediators having many years of arbitration and mediation experience in commercial law, including oil and gas, trade, construction, energy, financial services, banking, Islamic finance, insurance, and intellectual property. IAC arbitration awards are recognised and enforceable in Kazakhstan and internationally. https://iac.aifc.kz/

The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) is an independent jurisdiction that started operations in 2018. In accordance with the Development Strategy until 2025, the key focus of the AIFC is to consolidate as a universal platform connecting the countries of the EAEU, Central Asia and the Caucasus. www.aifc.kz