Olympio v Olwin [2026] DIFC ARB 024 (24 March 2026)

Olympio v Olwin [2026] DIFC ARB 024 (24 March 2026)

Permission to appeal is granted because Olympio has established that all proposed grounds of appeal have a real prospect of success: (1) the Judge may have misconstrued the CJT decision regarding the WFO; (2) the DIFC Courts may have freestanding jurisdiction to grant interim relief in support of enforcement of foreign arbitral awards; (3) the Judge should have continued the WFO until hearing argument on jurisdiction, especially given the lack of reasons and absence of a hearing.

Citation
[2026] DIFC ARB 024
Parties
Claimant/applicant: Olympio; Defendant/respondent: Olwin
Jurisdiction
United Arab Emirates
Judgment Date
24 March 2026
Procedural Posture
Arbitration Appeal / Permission to Appeal Granted by Court of Appeal
Outcome
Permission to appeal granted on all grounds.
Legal Topics
Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards, Worldwide Freezing Orders, Jurisdictional Conflict Between Courts, Interim Relief in Support of Arbitration, Appeal Procedure
Arbitration Civil Procedure Jurisdiction Recognition and Enforcement of Arbitral Awards Worldwide Freezing Orders Jurisdictional Conflict Between Courts Interim Relief in Support of Arbitration Appeal Procedure

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Parties

Olympio

Claimant/applicant

Olwin

Defendant/respondent

Procedural Posture

Arbitration Appeal / Permission to Appeal Granted by Court of Appeal

Legal Issues

  1. 1 Whether the DIFC Courts retained jurisdiction to continue a Worldwide Freezing Order (WFO) after the Conflict of Jurisdiction Tribunal (CJT) determined the Dubai Courts had jurisdiction over the underlying arbitral award.
  2. 2 Whether the CJT decision required the DIFC Courts to discharge the WFO and dismiss related applications.
  3. 3 Whether the DIFC Courts have freestanding jurisdiction to grant interim relief in support of enforcement of foreign arbitral awards.

Ratio Decidendi

Permission to appeal is granted because Olympio has established that all proposed grounds of appeal have a real prospect of success: (1) the Judge may have misconstrued the CJT decision regarding the WFO; (2) the DIFC Courts may have freestanding jurisdiction to grant interim relief in support of enforcement of foreign arbitral awards; (3) the Judge should have continued the WFO until hearing argument on jurisdiction, especially given the lack of reasons and absence of a hearing.

Court Disposition

Permission to appeal granted on all grounds.

Orders

  • The Renewed Application for permission to appeal is granted on all grounds.
  • The costs of the Renewed Application are reserved to the Court of Appeal.