Securiport LLC · Arbitration, Court judgment, Public contracts
Did the Paris court annul the Securiport v Benin award for corruption?
No. On 27 October 2020, the Paris Court of Appeal rejected Benin's application to annul the ICC award. The court held that the material before it did not establish sufficiently serious, precise and concordant indications that the contract had been procured through corruption. The judgment did not convert every disputed fact into a finding in Securiport's favour, and separate Benin proceedings should not be confused with the Paris annulment case.
| Subject | Securiport LLC |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | France |
| Topics | Arbitration, Court judgment, Public contracts |
| Current status | Annulment application rejected |
| Last verified | 30 October 2026 |
What was claimed or questioned?
Benin argued that recognising or enforcing the arbitration award would violate international public policy because the underlying contract was allegedly tainted by corruption.
What did Securiport or the responsible authority say?
Securiport opposed annulment. The Paris judgment records the competing evidence and arguments, then concludes that the indicators advanced by Benin did not meet the standard required to establish corruption for the annulment challenge.
What do the primary records show?
Paris judgment
The Court of Appeal rejected all grounds for annulment. The judgment records that the 24 January 2019 ICC award ordered Benin to pay $6,071,859 in unpaid invoices and $80,856,576 in lost profit, with interest and costs.
Separate Benin procedure
The Benin Supreme Court's 2021 compilation records a procedural ruling involving Securiport and individuals. It concerned admissibility of a request to suspend proceedings and advance a cassation review. It was not a merits judgment establishing guilt or innocence in the Paris case.
What was established?
- An ICC tribunal issued an award on 24 January 2019.
- Benin asked the Paris Court of Appeal to annul the award.
- The Paris court rejected the corruption-based annulment argument and the other annulment grounds on 27 October 2020.
- The court ordered Benin to pay €40,000 under article 700 and the costs of the annulment proceeding.
What was not established?
- The Paris judgment was not a criminal acquittal of every person associated with the contract.
- The Benin Supreme Court procedural ruling was not a corruption conviction.
- The award amount should not be described as a criminal penalty against Benin.
Was liability determined?
The Paris court did not determine criminal liability. It determined that the award should not be annulled on the grounds presented, including the public-policy argument based on alleged corruption.
What remains unresolved?
This record does not establish the present enforcement balance, payment history or final status of every separate domestic proceeding in Benin. Those require current court or enforcement records.
Current status
The verified Paris record is that the annulment application was rejected. Any account saying the Paris court annulled the award for corruption is inconsistent with the judgment.
Timeline
- The ICC arbitral tribunal issued its award.
- The Paris Court of Appeal rejected Benin's annulment application.
- The Benin Supreme Court issued a separate procedural ruling recorded in its 2021 compilation.
Sources
- Cour d'appel de Paris, Republic of Benin v Securiport LLC, Paris Court of Appeal, RG 19/04177 27 October 2020 · Court judgment document record
- Cour suprême du Bénin, Les arrêts de référence de la Cour suprême, Chambre judiciaire, including arrêt no. 001-CJ-P-AP 16 June 2021 · Official court compilation document record
Revision history
- 30 October 2026: First publication after review of the primary records listed above.
Securiport LLC can submit a document or response through right of reply. A response is labelled as the subject's position and does not replace the cited evidence.