Hugo Varenne

Mr. Varenne's experience includes advising:

• A leading Latin American pharmaceutical business in an ICC arbitration seated in London, governed by English law and Colombian law, in a dispute related to a distribution agreement
• The Republic of Colombia in two ICSID arbitrations under the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement relating to the adoption of certain regulatory measures in the gold mining sector intended to protect páramo (moorland) ecosystems
• Three Mexican companies in an ICC arbitration against the EPC contractor and asset manager of their renewable energy-producing facilities
• The Republic of Colombia in an ICSID arbitration against Aris Gold under the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement; the dispute relates to Colombia’s alleged failure to evict illegal miners in a gold mining concern located in the northwest of Colombia, and a host State’s obligation to guarantee full protection and security to a foreign investor
• The Republic of Colombia in an ICSID arbitration against South32 under the UK-Colombia bilateral investment treaty; the dispute relates to royalty payments arising out of the exploitation of one of the world’s largest open-pit ferro-nickel mines 
• The State of Ukraine in an SCC arbitration in which the claimants claimed more than US$6 billion for alleged breaches of the ECT (Littop Enterprises Limited and others v. Ukraine); the tribunal unanimously dismissed the case, which was the largest ever brought against Ukraine, for lack of jurisdiction
• A technology company in an ICC arbitration against a key supplier concerning a tortious conspiracy and the non-conformity of products with contractual specification
• A national oil company in a range of complex PSC, JOA, and supply disputes valued in the multiple billions of dollars
• A Swiss financial holding company in relation to an expropriation claim against a Western African State