Success in Belgium, setback in Sweden for Kazakhstan in proceedings to set aside enforcement of Ascom’s €500+ million arbitral award

Last week, two separate rulings were handed down by two different courts in the long-running Ascom and Others v the Republic of Kazakhstan dispute. In the first, Kazakhstan succeeded in convincing the Belgian Appeal Court to reverse a lower court’s decision to enforce Ascom’s €500 million arbitration award. While in the second, Kazakhstan failed to persuade the Swedish Supreme Court that assets seized by the Swedish Enforcement Authority enjoyed immunity from enforcement.