Skip to main content

Dana Gas, one of the largest investors in Iraq's Kurdistan, said on Monday the semi-autonomous region had failed to pay $100 million as instructed by a London arbitration court, prompting Dana to ask the court to enforce the order.

"An application to the English Court has been made for enforcement of the order, with the prospect of sanctions being imposed on the KRG (Kurdistan Regional Government) for non-compliance," Dana said in a statement.

The case is part of much bigger "multi-billion dollar" claims that the Pearl consortium, led by Dana, brought against Kurdistan for breach of contractual commitments and which it says are due to be heard in London next April.

The consortium, which also consists of Crescent Petroleum of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Austria's OMV and Hungarian oil and gas group MOL, had filed an arbitration case in London in October 2013, seeking to confirm its contract rights and to obtain payments for production.

The case is closely watched by other companies active in Kurdistan, whose untapped oil and gas reserves and lucrative production-sharing contracts have attracted major international oil companies in recent years.

Dana has said it is had not received any significant payments from the KRG.

The KRG has previously rejected claims, saying Dana's statement about London court rulings were "misleading" and it was the consortium that owed it billions of dollars.

On Monday, Dana said the London Court of International Arbitration had ordered the KRG to pay the consortium $100 million, which the KRG failed to do by the stipulated deadline of Nov. 17, 2014.

Dana said it had therefore applied on Dec. 12 to the court for enforcement of the order.

The Pearl consortium has invested more than $1.2 billion in Iraqi Kurdistan, according to the statement, and currently produces an average of over 80,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, including 320 million cubic feet per day of gas.

Related Articles

Q&A with Edwin Northover, Debevoise & Plimpton LLP

Debevoise & Plimpton LLP won the Insurance Law Firm of the Year award at the ALB Hong Kong Law Awards 2024, apart from being the sponsor of the Insurance In-House Team of the Year award. Edwin Northover, Asia-based corporate partner and head of the firm’s financial institutions and corporate practices in Asia, talks about the firm's recent achievements, trends in the insurance industry, and future outlook for insurance law in Hong Kong.

Kramer Levin and Herbert Smith Freehills plan latest law firm mega-merger

by Reuters |

U.S. law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel and global legal giant Herbert Smith Freehills are planning to merge to create a firm with more than 2,700 lawyers, according to a joint statement on Monday.

Tokyo International makes Singapore debut with SE Asia in its sights

by Sarah Wong |

Japanese boutique Tokyo International Law Office (TKI) is set to establish its first overseas outpost with the opening of a Singapore office in January 2025, marking a significant milestone in the rapidly expanding firm's global strategy.