Arbitral Digest

Matter

Empresa Nacional de Diamantes de Angola – EP v Sociedade Portuguesa de Empreendimentos, S.A. (Angolan arbitration; Constitutional Court 814/2023)

Seat
Angola
Applicable rules
UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules
  1. 10 April 2023Angola

    10 April 2023Angola

    Judgment No. 814/2023 of the Constitutional Court of Angola in case 943-A/2021 dated 10 April 2023

    Constitutional Court of Angola

    Case no.
    943-A/2021
    Decision summary
    The Constitutional Court of Angola dismissed the extraordinary constitutional appeal brought by the Ordem dos Advogados de Angola and held that the challenged Supreme Court judgment violated no constitutional principle. It upheld the decision leaving invalid the Bar Association’s 31 March 2014 resolution requiring lawyers registered with the Angolan Bar to represent parties in domestic and international arbitrations seated in Angola, in the dispute arising from ENDIAMA’s representation by Brazilian lawyers in its arbitration against Sociedade Portuguesa de Empreendimentos, S.A.

    Supporting details

    17 authorities · 13 participants
    Ordem dos Advogados de Angola
    Empresa Nacional de Diamantes de Angola – EP
    Sociedade Portuguesa de Empreendimentos, S.A.
    Constitutional Court of Angola
    Other
    Institutional administrator
    Public Prosecutor’s Office

    Authorities cited

    17
    • Constitution of the Republic of Angola, articles 174(4), 193(3) and 195
      constitution
    • Angolan Law on Voluntary Arbitration (Law No. 16/03 of 25 July, Law on Voluntary Arbitration, articles 8 and 19)
      statute
    • Angolan Advocacy Law (Law No. 1/95 of 6 January, Advocacy Law, article 2)
      statute
    • Angolan Advocacy Law (Law No. 8/17 of 13 March, Advocacy Law, articles 4(c) and 20(1)(a))
      statute
    • Statute of the Angolan Bar Association (Decree No. 28/96 of 13 September, as amended by Decree No. 56/05 of 13 May, article 42(1))
      statute
    • Angolan Criminal Code, article 236(2)
      statute
    • Angolan Constitutional Procedure Law (Law No. 3/08 of 17 June, Law on Constitutional Procedure, articles 3(e), 49, 50(a) and 15)
      statute
    • Organic Law of the Constitutional Court of Angola (Law No. 2/08 of 17 June, articles 16(m) and 21(4))
      statute
    • Angolan Administrative Litigation Regulation (Decree-Law No. 4-A/96 of 5 April, articles 80(1)(b), 85, 86(1), 91(1)(a) and 93(1))
      statute
    • UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, articles 4 and 16
      rules
    • Jorge Bacelar Gouveia, Constitutional Law of Angola (Jorge Bacelar Gouveia, Direito Constitucional de Angola, IDILP, 2014, p. 436)
      academic
    • Lino Diamvutu, The Arbitration Agreement in Angolan Law (Lino Diamvutu, A Convenção de Arbitragem no Direito Angolano, Almedina S.A., 2016, p. 26)
      academic
    • Dário Moura Vicente, Recent Developments in Arbitration in Portugal (Dário Moura Vicente, L’evolution récent de l’arbitrage au Portugal, Revue d’Arbitrage, 1991, p. 419 et seq.)
      academic
    • Manuel Gonçalves, Sofia Vale and Lino Diamvutu, Annotated Voluntary Arbitration Law (Manuel Gonçalves, Sofia Vale and Lino Diamvutu, Lei da Arbitragem Voluntária Comentada, FDUAN, 2014, p. 111)
      academic
    • Manuel Pereira Barrocas, Arbitration Manual (Manuel Pereira Barrocas, Manual de Arbitragem, 2nd ed., Almedina, 2013, p. 394)
      academic
    • João Reis, Legal Representation and Arbitration (João Reis, Representação Forense e Arbitragem, Coimbra Editora, Coimbra, 2001, p. 118)
      academic
    • Lopes dos Reis, Legal Representation and Arbitration (Lopes dos Reis, Representação Forense e Arbitragem, Coimbra Editora, 2001, footnote 127)
      academic
  2. Date not availableAngola

    Date not availableAngola

    Judgment of the Plenary of the Supreme Court of Angola in case 82/19

    Supreme Court of Angola, Plenary

    Case no.
    82/19
    Decision summary
    The Plenary of the Supreme Court of Angola dismissed the Ordem dos Advogados de Angola’s appeal and maintained the decision of the Third Section of the Civil, Administrative, Tax and Customs Chamber declaring invalid the Bar Association’s 31 March 2014 resolution concerning representation in the ENDIAMA–SPE arbitration.
  3. Date not availableAngola

    Date not availableAngola

    Judgment of the Third Section of the Supreme Court of Angola in case 377/14

    Supreme Court of Angola, Third Section of the Civil, Administrative, Tax and Customs Chamber

    Case no.
    377/14
    Decision summary
    The Third Section of the Civil, Administrative, Tax and Customs Chamber of the Supreme Court of Angola upheld ENDIAMA’s administrative challenge and declared invalid the Ordem dos Advogados de Angola’s 31 March 2014 resolution concerning representation in the ENDIAMA–SPE arbitration.

Matter record

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Empresa Nacional de Diamantes de Angola – EP v Sociedade Portuguesa de Empreendimentos, S.A. (Angolan arbitration; Constitutional Court 814/2023) · Matter