Sinolam International Pte Ltd v. Republic of Panama

At a glance

Parties

Sinolam International Pte Ltd v. Republic of Panama

Case no.

ICSID Case No. ARB/26/12

Forum and rules

ICSID Convention arbitration; ICSID Arbitration Rules in force as of 1 July 2022; place of proceeding Washington, D.C.

Treaty

Singapore–Panama FTA 2006 (per the ICSID case database entry; not stated in the published orders)

Tribunal

Mr. Joe Tirado (President), Mr. Antolín Fernández Antuña, Mr. Lluís Paradell Trius

Sector

Electric power generation (per the case record)

Outcome

Pending. The published documents are two procedural orders setting the procedure for the main case and for the Claimant's Request for Provisional Measures.

Amount

No amounts claimed are stated. ICSID requested an initial advance of USD 300,000, paid USD 150,000 by each side.

The dispute

Sinolam International Pte Ltd brought an ICSID claim against the Republic of Panama. According to the case record, the dispute concerns an electric power generation project and is brought under the 2006 Singapore–Panama free trade agreement. The published orders do not describe the investment, the measures complained of, or the parties' legal arguments. Procedural Order No. 2 shows that the Claimant filed a Request for Provisional Measures on 22 July 2026 and refers to the detention and possible extradition request concerning a Mr. Zhang. The published documents do not show who Mr. Zhang is.

Key holdings

1. The proceeding is governed by the ICSID Arbitration Rules in force as of 1 July 2022. The Tribunal was constituted on 8 June 2026, and the Parties confirmed they had no objection to any member. Procedural Order No. 1, §§ 1.1, 2.1
2. Washington, D.C. is the place of the proceeding. English and Spanish are the procedural languages, and the award is to be rendered in both languages simultaneously, with both versions equally authentic. Procedural Order No. 1, §§ 10.1, 11.1, 11.12
3. The Parties share the direct costs equally, without prejudice to the final allocation of costs. Each side paid USD 150,000 towards an initial advance of USD 300,000. Procedural Order No. 1, §§ 9.1–9.2
4. The Parties agreed to the transparency provisions of ICSID Arbitration Rules 62–66, including publication of the Tribunal's orders and decisions subject to agreed or ordered redactions. The Claimant objected to observation of the hearing by persons other than the parties and participants. Procedural Order No. 1, §§ 21.7, 24.1–24.2
5. The Tribunal set three alternative timetables, depending on whether bifurcation is requested and granted. The Claimant's Memorial on Jurisdiction, Merits and Quantum is due on 13 November 2026. If bifurcation is not requested, the hearing is set for 8–12 May 2028. Procedural Order No. 1, Annex A
6. For the Request for Provisional Measures, the Tribunal set a timetable of written submissions leading to a hearing by videoconference on 22–23 September 2026. Pending its ruling, the Tribunal expects to be kept informed of all material developments concerning Mr. Zhang's detention and/or potential extradition request, so as to protect its ability to order relief. Procedural Order No. 2, ¶¶ 2–3, 6

Procedural history

1. 19 March 2026Following registration of the Request for Arbitration, ICSID requests an advance of USD 300,000.
2. 20 April – 8 June 2026The arbitrators accept their appointments on 20 April, 22 April and 8 June 2026.
3. 8 June 2026The Tribunal is constituted.
4. 16 July 2026First session of the Tribunal is held by video conference.
5. 22 July 2026Procedural Order No. 1 sets out the procedural rules and timetable. The Claimant files a Request for Provisional Measures on the same day.
6. 28 July 2026Case management conference on the procedure for the provisional measures request.
7. 3 August 2026Procedural Order No. 2 sets the timetable for the provisional measures proceedings.
8. 22–23 September 2026Hearing on provisional measures scheduled to be held by videoconference.

Tribunal, counsel and experts

Decided by

• Joe Tirado President
• Antolín Fernández Antuña Co-arbitrator
• Lluís Paradell Trius Co-arbitrator

For the claimant

Mascarenhas Law PLLC

For the respondent

Ministerio de Economía y Finanzas

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Keywords

• provisional measures
• detention
• extradition
• bifurcation
• electric power generation
• energy
• Singapore–Panama FTA
• Panama
• procedural timetable
• transparency
• ICSID Arbitration Rules 2022
• document production
• Redfern Schedule

Summary generated with AI from the published documents — refer to the award for the authoritative text.