1. In April 2003 arbitral awards were made in France and Switzerland against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). France and Switzerland are parties to the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. The plaintiff company has acquired the benefit of those awards and has obtained leave in Hong Kong to enforce the awards and injunctions to prevent third parties transferring assets allegedly due to the DRC. The DRC has claimed immunity from jurisdiction and from the process of execution. The Court of First Instance has set aside leave and the injunctions. This is an appeal from that decision.

2. This appeal addresses the questions whether an application for leave to enforce an arbitral award made under the New York Convention against a State impleads that foreign State; whether the law of Hong Kong requires application of the doctrine of absolute state immunity from jurisdiction and execution, as opposed to the restrictive doctrine; and whether by agreeing to refer a dispute to arbitration in a New York Convention country, to be conducted according to the Rules of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), a foreign State which is not a party to the Convention waives such state immunity from jurisdiction and execution to which it is otherwise entitled.