Oscar Chinn Case

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The Oscar Chinn Case (Britain v. Belgium). [1934], P.C.I.J. (Ser. A/B) No. 63 was a case of the Permanent Court of International Justice. [1]

The Belgian government granted significant subsidies to a Belgian company, UNATRA, that offered transportation services in the Belgian Congo. Mr. Chinn, a British subject who operated a fluvial transport company on the Congo River could not compete (during the Great Depression) with the subsidised UNATRA's nominal prices and Britain brought a claim against the Belgian government as a matter of diplomatic protection. [2] [3]

The Court decided, based on the Convention of Saint-Germain 1919 and general principles of international law, that the Belgian Government did not violate any international legal obligations to the United Kingdom. [4]

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References

  1. Oscar Chinn Case, UN Summaries of Judgements.
  2. T. Olawale Elias, The International Court of Justice And Some Contemporary Problems. Martinus Nijhoff Publishers 1983 Page 306
  3. Britain v. Belgium 1934 Judgment at World Court.com
  4. Britain v. Belgium 1934 Judgment paragraph 105 at World Court.com