The widow of a top international lawyer who died while on safari will have her case heard in a British court but under Egyptian law, a judge has ruled.
Lady Brownlie has been permitted to sue an Egyptian offshoot of the Four Seasons hotel brand over the death of her late husband Sir Ian Brownlie, who, along with the couple’s daughter, died in a road accident on a tour arranged by the hotel.
Described in the British press on his death, aged 77, as having a "formidable reputation for integrity and independence," QC Sir Ian practised on a number of high-profile cases before the International Court of Justice at The Hague in the Netherlands.
Sir Ian, whose career spanned 25 years, acted as an adviser to US president Jimmy Carter during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis and was part of the legal team that represented the Libyan state in the aftermath of the Lockerbie bombing.
Following the accident in 2010, Lady Brownlie returned to Britain and sued the Four Seasons group in the High Court, beginning a legal battle over jurisdiction that went all the way to the UK Supreme Court in 2017.
Lady Brownlie’s case against the hotel chain can be heard in an English court after justices ruled in her favour last week.
The ruling promises an unusual case as the High Court will have to apply Egyptian law.
Lawyers have, however, noted that British and Egyptian law are similar on the issue of the alleged negligence of the hotel chain.
The modern Egyptian legal system originated in the 19th century and was based initially on the French Civil Code System before developing its own legal principles and structures.
It is therefore similar to most European civil code systems and has influenced the legal systems of many other Middle Eastern countries.
