Decision considered: ConocoPhillips Company et al. v The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
Two members of an ICSID arbitral tribunal – the Honourable Judge Kenneth J. Keith and Professor Georges Abi-Saab – have dismissed Venezuela’s challenge to the tribunal’s third member, Mr. L. Yves Fortier.
Venezuela filed a formal proposal to disqualify Mr. Fortier on October 5, 2011, one day after Mr. Fortier made a disclosure to the ICSID Secretary-General regarding the upcoming merger of Norton Rose OR LLP (“Norton Rose”), the firm in which he was a partner, and Macleod Dixon LLP (“Macleod Dixon”). Macleod Dixon was a Canadian-based law firm with international offices in, among other regions, South America. Venezuela’s proposal to disqualify Mr. Fortier arose out of concerns related to Macleod Dixon’s Caracas office. Specifically, Venezuela had concerns about “the extent and depth” of that office’s representation of ConocoPhillips (the Claimant in this arbitration) and other clients in matters adverse to Venezuela, its state-owned petroleum company and/or affiliates.