Ilija is a partner in the Paris office. Ilija has represented clients in international arbitrations conducted under all major arbitration rules. His practice focuses on complex investment and commercial arbitrations, particularly in the energy sector. He has extensive experience with proceedings for the annulment and enforcement of arbitral awards in numerous jurisdictions.

Ilija has also advised clients in relation to the renegotiation of bilateral investment treaties and on public international law issues, more generally, including on immunities, the law of the sea, and international criminal law.

Ilija’s experience includes the representation of:

• a European subsidiary of a significant Asian LNG trader in respect of a variety of issues
  arising under back-to-back LNG supply and purchase agreements and representing it in
  an ICC price-review arbitration, with English law applying
• a Ministry of Finance of a European State in an ICC arbitration against a consortium of
  European infrastructure companies, relating to a project for the improvement of the
  wastewater infrastructure in the country. The contract is based on the FIDIC Red Book
• a European energy company and the municipality of a European city in an SCC
  arbitration against an international utility company. The dispute arises from a long-term
  agreement for the lease of energy generation facilities;
• the Republic of Lithuania as Respondent in an ICSID arbitration relating to district heating
  and power generation markets in Lithuania brought under the Lithuania-France bilateral
  investment treaty;
• the majority shareholders in the former Yukos Oil Company in proceedings initiated in
  multiple jurisdictions in relation to the setting side and recognition and enforcement of
  the $50 billion awards rendered in the arbitrations against the Russian Federation. Ilija
  also represented the majority shareholders in the underlying arbitrations, in which the
  Tribunal found the Russian Federation liable to pay damages under the Energy Charter
  Treaty for the expropriation of the shareholders’ investments in Yukos;
• the Republic of Lithuania in two arbitrations against Gazprom: one brought by Gazprom
  under the Russia-Lithuania BIT in respect of Lithuania’s implementation of the EU Third
  Energy Package and another brought by the State under two contracts in respect of
  Gazprom’s undertaking to supply gas to Lithuania at fair prices;
• a European energy company, buyer in a long-term gas supply agreement, in an ICC
  arbitration in Geneva against another European energy company. English law applied;
  and
• Electricité de France (EDF) as Claimant in a UNCITRAL arbitration against the Republic
  of Hungary. The dispute arose from termination of the Power Purchase Agreements put
  in place during the privatisation of the electricity sector. The claims were brought under
  the Energy Charter Treaty and the arbitration was considered in accordance with
  UNCITRAL rules

Ilija is featured in Who’s Who Legal 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 – Arbitration as a Future Leader, which hails him as “one of the most outstanding legal minds of his generation”, someone who “knows the cases inside out”, and a “truly remarkable’ arbitration lawyer who has an impressive ability to manage very complex cases and to develop strategy”.  One client notes “I was most impressed with the depth of Mr Mitrev Penusliski’s knowledge across various areas of public international law”.

Ilija holds an LLM from Harvard law School, a Magister Juris from the University of Oxford, and an LLB from Saints Cyril and Methodius University.