Modifications etc. (not altering text)
C1Pt. I (ss. 1-17) applied (7.12.1993) by S.I. 1993/2809, art.2.
(1)A State is not immune as respects proceedings relating to—
(a)a commercial transaction entered into by the State; or
(b)an obligation of the State which by virtue of a contract (whether a commercial transaction or not) falls to be performed wholly or partly in the United Kingdom.
(2)This section does not apply if the parties to the dispute are States or have otherwise agreed in writing; and subsection (1)(b) above does not apply if the contract (not being a commercial transaction) was made in the territory of the State concerned and the obligation in question is governed by its administrative law.
(3)In this section “commercial transaction” means—
(a)any contract for the supply of goods or services;
(b)any loan or other transaction for the provision of finance and any guarantee or indemnity in respect of any such transaction or of any other financial obligation; and
(c)any other transaction or activity (whether of a commercial, industrial, financial, professional or other similar character) into which a State enters or in which it engages otherwise than in the exercise of sovereign authority;
but neither paragraph of subsection (1) above applies to a contract of employment between a State and an individual.