17th September 2025
On 7th September, Alex Haines appeared before all five judges of the Islamic Development Bank Group (“IsDBG”) Administrative Tribunal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in a case involving the Tribunal’s jurisdiction. On 15th and 16th September, Alex appeared before the Black Sea Trade and Development Bank (“BSTDB”) Administrative Tribunal in Thessaloniki, Greece, in two substantive cases.
The Islamic Development Bank Group
The IsDBG is a regional Multilateral Development Bank whose mission includes the promotion of social and economic development in Member States and Muslim communities worldwide. The present membership of the IsDBG consists of 57 countries, with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia funding almost a quarter of its total capital. The IsDBG is comprised of the Islamic Development Bank (“IsDB”), Islamic Corporation for the Development of the Private Sector (“ICD”), Islamic Research & Training Institute (“IRTI”), Islamic Corporation for Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (“ICIEC”), International Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (“ITFC”), and ICD.
The IsDBG Administrative Tribunal, operational from early 2022, hears cases brought by international civil servants who work at the IsDBG. It is a judicial body that functions independently of the IsDBG; its independence is guaranteed in its Statute and Rules of Procedure adopted in June 2020 and February 2022 respectively. The Tribunal is composed of five judges, all of whom are nationals of member states of one or more of the IsDBG institutions. Unusually for international judicial bodies of international organisations, Sharia applies (as well as the institutional texts of the IsDBG and international administrative law).
The BSTDB
The BSTDB is an international financial institution operational since 1999. Like the IsDBG and other international organisations, it was created by multilateral treaties concluded between sovereign states and it is, therefore, a product of public international law. Virtually all International Organisations are subject to the jurisdiction of an international administrative tribunal. The BSTDB Administrative Tribunal hears cases at the BSTDB’s headquarters in Thessaloniki.
Alex is called to both the English and Irish Bars and is a US-qualified attorney admitted to the Bars of NY and DC. He is a dual national, fluent in French and Spanish, specialist in international law and sanctions with expertise in international organisations law. He was appointed as Sanctions Officer at the Caribbean Development Bank in 2020. The cases he has been instructed in have involved more than 45 International Organisations including the World Bank Group, IMF, OAS and UN (including its specialised agencies and funds). He is ranked in Chambers and Partners for Sanctions and Legal 500 for Business and Regulatory Crime (including global investigations). He was nominated for International Law Junior of the year in 2024 by Legal 500.
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