Part VII Witnesses and Perjury, 19 The Expert Witness in International Arbitration

Subject(s):

Jurisdiction — Witnesses — Arbitrators — Admissibility of evidence — Expert evidence

This chapter raises the question of whether expert witnesses are necessary or indeed appropriate in international arbitration. The expert’s role in arbitration proceedings is to testify and assist the tribunal. The expert is also a witness, but, in contrast to the legal framework for experts in court proceedings, in international arbitration they do not have to be independent of the parties. The majority of experts appearing before arbitral tribunals are employees or habitual sub-contractors of one of the parties. Regardless of an arbitrator’s background, they will require the support of an expert as they increasingly come into contact with sectors such as construction, energy, telecommunications, and concessions. However, the proliferation of expert witnesses in arbitration proceedings, and above all the phenomenon of the team of experts, have become the cause of confusion and delays.