Broadening of legal team in ICSID Arbitration

03 Dec 2025 08:36 CET

December 3, 2025

ZENITH ENERGY LTD.

("Zenith" or the "Company")

Broadening of legal team in ICSID Arbitration

Zenith Energy Ltd. ("Zenith" or the "Company") (LSE: ZEN; OSE: ZENA; XSAT: ZENA
SDR), the listed international energy production and development company, is
delighted to announce the appointment of Ben Juratowitch KC and Matthieu
Gregoire, both barristers at Essex Court Chambers, to further broaden and
complement the legal team of its claimant subsidiaries in the arbitration
proceedings brought before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment
Disputes (“ICSID”) under the UK–Tunisia Bilateral Investment Treaty, against the
Republic of Tunisia, led by Professor Thomas Clay (Clay Arbitration) alongside
Simon Le Wita (Charles Russell Speechlys Paris).

Ben Juratowitch KC

Ben Juratowitch KC is a specialist in public international law and international
arbitration with more than two decades of experience acting for sovereign
states, international organisations and multinational corporations. Before
joining the Bar, he served as the global Head of Public International Law at
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer. He was appointed King’s Counsel in 2017.

He has acted in proceedings before the International Court of Justice and in
arbitrations conducted under ICSID, UNCITRAL, PCA and ICC rules. His work
includes inter-state territorial and maritime boundary disputes, treaty
interpretation, the law of the sea, state immunity, diplomatic protection and
claims brought under bilateral and multilateral investment treaties. He also
represents both investors and states in investor-state arbitrations and
international commercial disputes involving complex legal and geopolitical
issues.

Ben has held academic positions at the University of Paris V, where he taught
international dispute resolution from 2009 to 2020, and at the London School of
Economics as a Visiting Fellow. He holds a DPhil and BCL from the University of
Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and a University Medal for Law from the
University of Queensland. His work has been recognised with awards including
Silk of the Year for International Arbitration (Legal 500, 2023) and selection
to Global Arbitration Review’s “45 under 45”.

Matthieu Gregoire

Matthieu Gregoire is an advocate specialising in commercial litigation,
international commercial arbitration and investor-state arbitration. He advises
and represents governments, corporations and individuals in disputes across
sectors including energy, mining, manufacturing and financial services, often
involving allegations of civil fraud and other cross-border misconduct.

He has appeared before all levels of the English courts and has extensive
experience in investment treaty arbitration under ICSID, SCC, UNCITRAL and ad
hoc rules, including matters arising under the OIC Investment Agreement and
intra-EU bilateral investment treaties. His commercial arbitration practice
spans ICC, LCIA, SCC and UNCITRAL rules and frequently involves issues of
foreign law, jurisdiction and enforcement. He also advises on public
international law and international economic law, including WTO matters and
treaty interpretation.

Matthieu has taught international commercial arbitration as an Adjunct Professor
at Pepperdine University’s London campus since 2015. He was appointed to the
Attorney General’s Public International Law C Panel in 2017. He holds an LLM
from Georgetown University, a Master’s degree from Sciences Po and a BA in Law
from the University of Cambridge.

Essex Court Chambers

Essex Court Chambers is a leading group of specialist barristers with deep
experience in international arbitration and public international law—expertise
directly relevant to the ICSID arbitration brought by the Company’s UK
subsidiaries under the UK–Tunisia Bilateral Investment Treaty. Its members
regularly act in significant investor–state disputes under the ICSID Convention
and other major arbitral frameworks, and frequently appear before the English
courts in matters concerning arbitration, enforcement and interim measures.

Andrea Cattaneo, Chief Executive Officer, commented:

“The legal team, led by Professor Thomas Clay and comprised of Maître Simon Le
Wita of Charles Russell Speechlys Paris, is already exceptionally strong and has
thoroughly and robustly presented the merits of the position in progressing the
ICSID arbitration brought by the Company’s UK subsidiaries under the UK–Tunisia
Bilateral Investment Treaty.

The Company is very pleased to further complement and broaden the skillset and
expertise of this team with the addition of Ben Juratowitch KC and Matthieu
Gregoire. Ben brings extensive experience in public international law and
investor–state arbitration, including acting in proceedings before the
International Court of Justice and multiple ICSID tribunals. Matthieu adds
significant expertise in commercial and investment treaty arbitration, including
disputes involving states and cross-border allegations of misconduct. Their
combined experience is directly relevant to the issues at the centre of the
UK–Tunisia 1989 Bilateral Investment Treaty, and their arrival adds further
depth to the representation at a seminal juncture in the ICSID arbitration
against the Republic of Tunisia.

We look forward to the final hearings in April 2026 with well-grounded optimism
and a sincere belief in redress and compensation for the prolonged damages
suffered by the Company’s UK subsidiary claimants, which have been significantly
impaired as a result of arbitrary and unlawful conduct that has resulted in the
sequestration and expropriatory termination of their activities and assets. All
members of the legal team share a clear and unshakable assessment of the
strength of the position, supported by the extensive preparation undertaken to
date.

The Company remains firmly focused on securing redress for the significant
damage its UK subsidiary claimants have suffered in Tunisia, and which, as
recent events demonstrate, the UK subsidiary claimants continue to suffer
because of arbitrary and unlawful conduct by the authorities in the Republic of
Tunisia. The next five months will have a transformational impact on the Zenith
Group, and every possible action will be taken to defend the rights of the
Company’s UK subsidiary claimants and vindicate the merits of their position.”



Further Information:

Zenith Energy Ltd
Andrea Cattaneo, Chief Executive Officer


Tel: +1 (587) 315 1279
E: info@zenithenergy.ca

Notes to Editors:

Zenith Energy Ltd. is a revenue generating, independent energy company with
energy production, exploration and development assets in North Africa, the US
and Europe.

Zenith Energy is listed on the London Stock Exchange Main Market (LSE:ZEN), has
its entire common share capital admitted to trading on the Euronext Growth of
the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE:ZENA), and has Swedish Depository Receipts admitted
to the Spotlight Stock Market in Sweden (XSAT: ZENA SDR).

Zenith's strategic focus is on pursuing development opportunities through the
development of proven revenue generating energy production assets, as well as
low-risk exploration activities in assets with existing production.

For more information, please visit: www.zenithenergy.ca

Twitter: @zenithenergyltd
LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3A5PRJb

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