Under the Mauritian International Arbitration Act, 2008, the Secretary-General of the PCA is entrusted with the role of appointing authority, under which he may appoint arbitrators and take other measures relating to the arbitral proceedings in the absence of contrary agreement by the parties, as provided in Parts III and V of the Act.
Similarly, the Secretary-General of the PCA is entrusted with the role of appointing authority under Article 6 of the MIAC Arbitration Rules.
As appointing authority, the Secretary-General of the PCA may undertake the following roles:
- Composition of the arbitral tribunal
When appointing a sole or presiding arbitrator, the appointing authority follows the list-procedure as provided for under the MIAC Arbitration Rules (Article 8(2)). In accordance with Article 8(2) (d) of the MIAC Arbitration Rules, the appointing authority will exercise his discretion when requested to appoint a second arbitrator. The appointing authority’s choice of arbitrators for the list-procedure or direct appointments is not limited to any list or panel, and the appointing authority is therefore free to choose the most appropriate person for the matter at hand.
- Arbitrator challenge and termination of mandate
A party intending to challenge an arbitrator should send notice of its challenge in accordance with Article 13 of the MIAC Arbitration Rules.
- Fees and expenses of arbitrators
Under Article 41 of the MIAC Arbitration Rules, the appointing authority’s role in relation to the arbitrators’ fees and expenses includes the following:
– any party may refer an arbitral tribunal’s proposal regarding the manner in which its fees and expenses will be determined to the Secretary-General for review and, if necessary, adjustment (Article 41(2)); and
– before fixing the costs of arbitration, the arbitral tribunal shall submit its determination of the costs, with an explanation of the manner in which the corresponding amounts have been calculated, to the appointing authority for review and, if necessary, adjustment (Article 41 (3)(a)).