| Zenith Energy announced Wednesday the appointment of two barristers from Essex Court Chambers to strengthen its legal team in ongoing arbitration proceedings against the Republic of Tunisia. |
| Ben Juratowitch KC and Matthieu Gregoire will join the existing legal team led by Professor Thomas Clay of Clay Arbitration and Simon Le Wita of Charles Russell Speechlys Paris, according to the company statement. |
| The arbitration, brought before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) under the UK-Tunisia Bilateral Investment Treaty, involves claims by Zenith’s UK subsidiaries against Tunisia. |
| According to the site Investing.com, Juratowitch brings over two decades of experience in public international law and international arbitration, having previously served as global Head of Public International Law at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. He was appointed King’s Counsel in 2017 and has represented clients before the International Court of Justice and in various arbitrations. |
Gregoire specializes in commercial litigation and arbitration, with experience representing governments and corporations in disputes across multiple sectors.
He has appeared before English courts and handled investment treaty arbitrations under various rules.
Andrea Cattaneo, Chief Executive Officer of Zenith Energy, stated that the expanded legal team adds expertise at “a seminal juncture in the ICSID arbitration against the Republic of Tunisia.”
The company reports that final hearings in the case are scheduled for April 2026. Zenith claims its UK subsidiaries have suffered damages due to “arbitrary and unlawful conduct” resulting in “sequestration and expropriatory termination of their activities and assets” in Tunisia.
Zenith Energy is an energy company with production, exploration and development assets in North Africa, the US and Europe.
