Wena Hotels, Limited v. Arab Republic of Egypt

Wena Hotels (plaintiff), an English-incorporated company, leased and operated two hotels in Egypt (defendant) under agreements that soured into a dispute over the hotels' condition, culminating in Wena's eviction and the appointment of a court receiver. Wena sought ICSID arbitration; Egypt objected to jurisdiction, arguing that because Wena was owned by an Egyptian national, it should be treated as an Egyptian company under the ICSID Convention rather than as a foreign investor entitled to arbitrate.

Whether the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes has jurisdiction to arbitrate a dispute between a host state and an entity incorporated in a different signatory country but owned by nationals of the host state.