Bledi Albri

Bledi studied International Arbitration as part of his LLM at LSE and has a decade of experience acting for clients in international arbitration proceedings, including ad hoc proceedings, ICC and LCIA Arbitration Rules.

Bledi has represented clients in a broad range of sectors form oil and gas projects, mining, energy, delivery of energy and mining products and acting for international banks bring claim under facility agreements and against international banks. Bledi works closely with clients, local counsel and experts to further clients’ objectives. He is multilingual and down to earth lawyer which makes it easier for clients to face complex arbitral proceedings. He is down to earth, multilingual and has an excellent rate of winning cases.

Representative matters include:

• Represented Italian investors in their investment treaty claim against an East African state for cancellation of a biofuels start-up project ($100 million value).

• Represented a Kazakh oil and gas company in a London-seated UNCITRAL arbitration in the defence of a claim brought by an international bank under a corporate guarantee in relation to a construction project.

• Acted successfully for a Slovenian oil and gas company in a London-seated LCIA arbitration claim against a Croatian company for damages over $32 million arising out of a contract for the supply of petrol-related products.

• Acted successfully for an international construction company in a London-seated arbitration in a claim against a state respondent for damages of $6 billion arising out of a contract for the supply and processing of natural gas.

• Assisted in enforcement proceedings against a state respondent in respect of $350 million New York Convention arbitration award in the UK courts leading to a settlement.

• Acted for the majority shareholders of a BVI company in an unfair prejudice dispute in an ICC Arbitration and construction of the arbitration clause in a shareholder agreement which was decided in our clients’ favour in the Privy Council (Anzen Limited and Others v Hermes One Limited [2016] UKPC 1).

• Acted for a Brazilian oil and gas company in a London-seated arbitration against a Norwegian rig owner.

• Advised a Russian company in an LCIA claim in relation to a Put Option involving the operation of a copper mine.

• Acted successfully for a Bulgarian mining company against a Lithuanian counterparty in a breach of contract containing an LCIA arbitration clause.

• Acted for an international bank as lender in a complex, heavy-weight LCIA arbitration against a mining group and its guarantors. Won on liability and quantum (circa US$400m).

• Obtained an anti-suit injunction on behalf of the Claimant in VTB Bank (PJSC) v Valeri Mejlumyan [2021 EWHC 3053 (Comm).

Bledi has experience advising UK and international clients from the High Court to the Court of Appeal, Privy Council and the Supreme Court in respect of disputes arising from a broad range of disputes from shareholders, construction companies, banking, mining, energy to high net worth individual and for director of companies. He also has strong experience in dealing with fraud matters, including the investigation side, bringing and resisting injunctive relief, anti-suit injunction, to conducting of complex claims involving multi jurisdictions and working closely with experts and local counsel.

Representative matters include:

• Vneshprombank v Bedzhamov: Acting for claimant (Russian bank in liquidation) in relation to £1bn plus claim against Georgy Bedzhamov. Claim relates to collapse of the bank and concerns allegations of fraud and conspiracy. There have been numerous interlocutory hearings and Court of Appeal (See for example | [2022] EWHC 101 (Ch)).*

• Bourlakova & Ors v Kazakov & Ors: acting for Panamanian company defendants in claim concerning circa $3bn of assets.

• Acted successfully for a wealthy Kuwaiti family in a claim for over $21 million against Credit Suisse UK Ltd for breach of FSA/FCA rules in selling index-linked notes and a related London-seated LCIA arbitration claim following the litigation.

• Acted for two governors of London schools, involving high-profile individuals in a claim involving conspiracy, fraud and breach of statutory law.

• Acted for the designer of the Stormtrooper helmets used in the Star Wars films in relation to unsuccessful copyright infringement proceedings brought by Lucasfilm in the Supreme Court (Lucasfilm Limited and Others v Ainsworth and Another [2011] UKSC 39).

• Acted for a Brazilian oil and gas company in one of the biggest recognition cases of cross-border insolvency in England and Wales.

• Acted for Russian Commercial Bank (Cyprus) Ltd in contempt proceedings against a defendant (Russian Commercial Bank (Cyprus) Ltd v Fedor Khoroshilov  [2013] EWHC 3139 (QB), [2013] EWHC 4433 (Comm)).

• Acted for OJSC VTB Bank against two Russian directors and an English company in a tort and conspiracy claim in the Commercial Court (OJSC VTB Bank v Parline Limited and Others [2015] EWHC 1135).

• Acted for a travel company and related property companies in litigation against a former finance director for an account and payment of sums found to be due from the finance director in the Chancery Division and Court of Appeal.

• Advised the directors of a BVI company developing a villa complex in Brazil and bringing a successful injunction in the High Court to enforce a contractual option under section 44 of the Arbitration Act 1996.

• Assisted in Inversiones Frieira & Others v Colyzeo Investors II LP & Others [2011] EWHC (Ch) 1762 involving the rights of limited partners in a real estate equity fund to the delivery up of its books and records.

• Assisted the defendants in one of the longest contempt hearings before the Commercial Court (Munib Masri v Consolidated Contractors International Company SAL & Others [2011] EWHC 1024 (Comm)).

Bledi has experience in advising clients to assist them to adhere to the sanctions regime, including the designation process, challenges and the applications of both general and specific licences.

Representative matters include:

• Advising an international oil and gas company on the applicability of sanctions to oil and gas sales.

• Advising an international bank on the effect of sanctions to a facility agreement.

• Acting successfully for an international client to challenge designation proceedings in the High Court and we won on the law.

• Advising an Irish company on the application of sanctions and whether a counterparty is controlled by a designated entity.

• Acting successfully for a Russian shareholder to challenge inaccurate information in relation to the ownership and control of a holding company against an international compliance company.