Trendtex Trading Corporation Ltd v. Central Bank of Nigeria
Court of Appeal (Civil)
1 QB 529 (1977)
- Written by Mary Katherine Cunningham, JD
Facts
Early in 1975, the government of Nigeria entered into contracts for the importation of cement. In June 1975, the port of Lagos reached capacity, causing congestion in the port and a crisis for the government of Nigeria. On July 29, 1975, a new military administration assumed power in Nigeria. To respond to the crisis and relieve the congestion in the port of Lagos, the new government set up a committee to negotiate new terms with the cement suppliers. Although this committee alleviated the congestion, certain suppliers brought legal claims to enforce their rights in English courts. Trendtex Trading Corporation (plaintiff) brought a claim to enforce its rights related to a letter of credit issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria (defendant). The Central Bank of Nigeria claimed that, under international law, it was entitled to sovereign immunity as a governmental entity that would prevent Trendtex from bringing its claim before an English court. Trendtex countered that because its claim involved a commercial transaction, the Central Bank of Nigeria could not invoke sovereign immunity.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Denning, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 816,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.