Page 12 - Microsoft Word - FINAL COPY - A Legal Guide to Investing in Iraq _12-7-2015_ _6_.docx

SECTION I
INVESTING IN IRAQ
Legal System and Litigation in Iraq
Drafters of investment contracts must have
expertise in Iraqi laws and the Iraqi court
system. This is critical to accommodate
international investors’ needs and ensure the
validity and enforceability of investment
contracts. Iraqi law is a written code of civil ‫ دون أن ﯾﻌﺘﻤﺪ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﺴﻮاﺑﻖ‬،‫ووﺟﻮد ﻗﻮاﻧﯿﻦ ﻣﺪﻧﯿﺔ‬
laws; judicial precedent plays only an
advisory role, and the “will of the parties”
principle in contractual agreements is
virtually non-existent in terms of mandatory
provisions, as opposed to default provisions.
Therefore, when negotiating the drafting of
an investment contract between a party with
an Anglo-Saxon 1 legal background and a
second party with a civil law background, the
following points should be taken into
consideration:
1. Iraqi Civil Law No. 40 of 1951 has
mandatory and default rules.
Mandatory rules are binding and not
subject to amendment by the parties to
a transaction or contract. Default rules
are those which parties are permitted to
agree on amending or replacing. An
example of mandatory rules in the Iraqi
Civil Law is Article 508, which states
“The sale of real estate is not complete
unless it is registered with the relevant ‫ ﻣﺎ ﻟﻢ‬،‫ﻛﺄﺟﺮة اﻟﻜﯿﻞ واﻟﻮزن ﺗﻠﺰم اﻟﺒﺎﺋﻊ وﺣﺪه‬
department and the registration
complies with the format set forth in the
law.” An example of a default rule can
be found in Article 542 of the Iraqi
Civil Law, which states that “the costs
of delivering goods sold, such as
volume and weighing fees, are
incumbent upon the seller alone, unless
1 The legal systems of the United States of America and United Kingdom
‫اﻟﺸﺮﯾﻌﺔ اﻟﻘﺎﻧﻮﻧﯿﺔ اﻟﺴﺎﺋﺪة ﻓﻲ اﻟﻤﻤﻠﻜﺔ اﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪة واﻟﻮﻻﯾﺎت اﻟﻤﺘﺤﺪة اﻷﻣﺮﯾﻜﯿﺔ‬.
‫اﻟﻘﺴﻢ اﻷول‬
‫اﻹﺳﺘﺜﻤﺎر ﻓﻲ اﻟﻌﺮاق‬
‫اﻟﻨﻈﺎم اﻟﻘﺎﻧﻮﻧﻲ واﻟﺘﻘﺎﺿﻲ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻌﺮاق‬
‫ﯾﺠﺐ أن ﯾﺘﻮﻓﺮ ﻟﺪى ﺻﺎﺋﻐﻲ ﻋﻘﻮد اﻹﺳﺘﺜﻤﺎر اﻟﺨﺒﺮة‬
.‫اﻟﻜﺎﻓﯿﺔ ﺑﺎﻟﻘﻮاﻧﯿﻦ ذات اﻟﻌﻼﻗﺔ وﻧﻈﺎم اﻟﻤﺤﺎﻛﻢ اﻟﻌﺮاﻗﯿﺔ‬
‫ھﺬا اﻟﻤﺘﻄﻠﺐ ﻣﮭﻢ ﻣﻦ أﺟﻞ إﺳﺘﯿﻌﺎب إﺣﺘﯿﺎﺟﺎت اﻟﻤﺴﺘﺜﻤﺮ‬
.‫ وﻟﻀﻤﺎن ﺻﺤﺔ ﻋﻘﻮد اﻹﺳﺘﺜﻤﺎر وﺗﻨﻔﯿﺬھﺎ‬،‫اﻷﺟﻨﺒﻲ‬
‫وﯾﺴﺘﻨﺪ اﻟﻘﺎﻧﻮن اﻟﻌﺮاﻗﻲ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻓﻜﺮة اﻟﻘﺎﻧﻮن اﻟﻤﺪ ّون‬
‫ ﻛﻤﺎ‬.‫اﻟﻘﻀﺎﺋﯿﺔ ﻟﻠﻤﺤﺎﻛﻢ اﻟﺘﻲ ﻟﮭﺎ ﻗﯿﻤﺔ اﺳﺘﺸﺎرﯾﺔ ً ﻓﻘﻂ‬
‫ﯾﻌﺘﺒﺮ ﻣﺒﺪأ "ﺳﻠﻄﺎن اﻹرادة" ﻓﻲ اﻹﺗﻔﺎﻗﯿﺎت اﻟﺘﻌﺎﻗﺪﯾﺔ‬
‫ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺧﻼف اﻟﻨﺼﻮص‬،‫ﻣﻌﺪوﻣﺎً ﺗﺠﺎه اﻟﻨﺼﻮص اﻵﻣﺮة‬
‫ وﻟﺬﻟﻚ ﯾﺠﺐ ﻋﻨﺪ اﻟﺘﻔﺎوض ﻋﻠﻰ ﺻﯿﺎﻏﺔ اﻟﻌﻘﻮد‬.‫اﻟﻤﻔﺴﺮة‬
‫اﻹﺳﺘﺜﻤﺎرﯾﺔ ﺑﯿﻦ طﺮف ذي ﺧﻠﻔﯿﺔ ﻗﺎﻧﻮﻧﯿﺔ‬
‫أﻧﺠﻠﻮﺳﻜﺴﻮﻧﯿﺔ وطﺮف ﺛﺎن ذي ﺧﻠﻔﯿﺔ ﻓﻲ اﻟﻘﺎﻧﻮن اﻟﻤﺪﻧﻲ‬
:‫أن ﯾﺄﺧﺬ ﺑﻌﯿﻦ اﻹﻋﺘﺒﺎر اﻟﻘﻮاﻋﺪ اﻟﺘﺎﻟﯿﺔ‬
‫ ﻟﺴﻨﺔ‬40 ‫ ﯾﺤﺘﻮي اﻟﻘﺎﻧﻮن اﻟﻤﺪﻧﻲ اﻟﻌﺮاﻗﻲ رﻗﻢ‬.1
‫ ﻋﻠﻰ اﻟﻌﺪﯾﺪ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻨﺼﻮص اﻵﻣﺮة‬1951
‫ اﻟﻨﺼﻮص اﻵﻣﺮة ھﻲ ﺗﻠﻚ اﻟﻨﺼﻮص‬.‫واﻟﻤﻔﺴﺮة‬
‫ واﻟﺘﻲ ﻻ ﯾﺤﻖ ﻟﮭﻢ ﻣﺨﺎﻟﻔﺘﮭﺎ أو‬،‫اﻟﻤﻠﺰﻣﺔ ﻟﻸﻓﺮاد‬
‫ أﻣﺎ اﻟﻨﺼﻮص اﻟﻤﻔﺴﺮة ﻓﮭﻲ‬.‫اﻟﺨﺮوج ﻋﻠﯿﮭﺎ‬
‫اﻟﻨﺼﻮص اﻟﺘﻲ ﯾﺠﻮز ﻟﻸﻓﺮاد اﻹﺗﻔﺎق ﻋﻠﻰ‬
‫ ﻣﺜﺎل اﻟﻨﺼﻮص اﻵﻣﺮة ﻓﻲ‬.‫ﺧﻼﻓﮭﺎ أو ﺗﻌﺪﯾﻠﮭﺎ‬
،‫ ﻣﻨﮫ‬508 ‫اﻟﻘﺎﻧﻮن اﻟﻤﺪﻧﻲ اﻟﻌﺮاﻗﻲ ﻧﺺ اﻟﻤﺎدة‬
‫واﻟﺘﻲ ﺟﺎء ﻓﯿﮭﺎ أن "ﺑﯿﻊ اﻟﻌﻘﺎر ﻻ ﯾﻨﻌﻘﺪ إﻻ إذا‬
‫ُﺳ ّﺠﻞ ﻓﻲ اﻟﺪاﺋﺮة اﻟﻤﺨﺘﺼﺔ واﺳﺘﻮﻓﻰ اﻟﺸﻜﻞ اﻟﺬي‬
‫" أﻣﺎ اﻟﻨﺼﻮص اﻟﻤﻔﺴﺮة‬.‫ﻧﺺ ﻋﻠﯿﮫ اﻟﻘﺎﻧﻮن‬
‫ ﻣﻦ اﻟﻘﺎﻧﻮن اﻟﻤﺪﻧﻲ‬542 ‫ﻓﻤﺜﺎﻟﮭﺎ ﻧﺺ اﻟﻤﺎدة‬
‫اﻟﻌﺮاﻗﻲ اﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﻨﺺ ﻋﻠﻰ أن "ﺗﻜﺎﻟﯿﻒ ﺗﺴﻠﯿﻢ اﻟﻤﺒﯿﻊ‬
".‫ﯾﻮﺟﺪ إﺗﻔﺎق أو ﻋﺮف ﯾﻘﻀﻲ ﺑﻐﯿﺮ ذﻟﻚ‬
8