Kareem Bessisso

Biography

Kareem is a Senior Associate in the International Litigation Group at Al Tamimi & Company, based in Dubai. He acts for clients in complex commercial disputes before the DIFC Courts, the ADGM Courts and the onshore Dubai Courts, and regularly advises on matters governed by English law, DIFC law, ADGM law and onshore UAE law.

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Recent Experience

• GTC Trading SA v Hazem Abdolshahid Mahmoudi Rashed and Ors, ENF-022-2023, ENF-023-2023, CFI-046-2023: Kareem acted for the Claimant in proceedings to enforce a Dubai onshore judgment in the sum of AED 100,000,000 (c. USD 27 million) before the DIFC Courts. The matter gave rise to many interim hearings. Kareem secured, inter alia, two worldwide freezing orders, including relief granted on Chabra grounds against third parties, charging orders, orders for sale over DIFC-situated assets, third party disclosure orders, and an order committing a defendant for contempt of court. The enforcement strategy operated in parallel across the DIFC and the Dubai onshore courts. It involved the attachment of a substantial portfolio of Dubai real estate assets and gave rise to multiple appeals and cross-appeals from decisions of the Dubai Execution Courts. The matter further required coordination with the Dubai Police in respect of the enforcement of arrest orders.
• JTrust Asia PTE Ltd v Konoshita and Ors, CFI-034-2023: Kareem acted for the Claimant in proceedings for the recognition and enforcement in the DIFC of two judgments of the Courts of Singapore and the BVI Courts. The judgments arose out of a substantial $200 million fraud committed against the Claimant.
• Access Group DWC LLC and ProEx Partners Limited v BLS International FZE, CFI 091/2023: Kareem acted for the Claimants in a complex breach of contract dispute governed by UAE law, culminating in a two-week trial before the DIFC Court of First Instance. The dispute concerned the operation of multiple visa application centers across Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iran and Ghana, and involved claims arising from the termination of subcontract arrangements, alleged breaches of non-compete obligations, and related quantum issues following the transition between successive government concession contracts. The matter required detailed consideration of the UAE Civil Code, in particular the principles governing termination, good faith and abuse of rights. It also involved substantial procedural issues in the lead up to and at trial, including heavily contested disclosure, privilege and adverse inference applications.
• IDBI Bank Limited v Mabani Delma General Contracting Co LLC and Ors, CFI-070-2018: Kareem acted for the Claimant in a c. $8 million debt claim by a DIFC registered bank in respect of a loan made to and secured by various Dubai and Abu Dhabi based companies and individuals. Kareem successfully obtained an order striking out the Defendants’ Defence and entering judgment for the Claimant bank, following the Defendants’ failure to comply with an unless order in respect of their document production. Execution efforts before the Dubai Courts included securing travel ban orders against the individual defendants and attaching assets, including significant real property holdings in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.
• AC Network Holding Ltd & Ors v Polymath Ekar SPV1 & Ors [2022] ADGMCFI 9 and [2023] ADGMCA 2: Kareem acted for the Claimants in an ADGM Courts’ claim in respect of the validity of a “drag along” notice.  Kareem successfully challenged the validity of the drag notice before Justice Stone SBS at first instance and successfully appealed the dismissal of a claim in unlawful means conspiracy on the grounds that, contrary to the findings of Justice Stone SBS at first instance, English law had direct precedential value in the ADGM (the English Court of Appeal’s decision in Racing Partnership Ltd & others v. Sports Information Services Ltd [2020] EWCA Civ 1300 applied).
• Arabian Construction Company WLL v Credit Suisse Bank, ENF-098-2018 & CA-008-2019: Kareem acted in proceedings in the DIFC Court of Appeal which included consideration of the circumstances in which foreign judgments can be enforced in the DIFC under the Riyadh Arab Convention for Judicial Cooperation 1983 or the Gulf Cooperation Council Convention for the Execution of Judgments, Delegations, and Judicial Notifications 1997.