Article 7
Decisions by the Center
- All decisions by CAM Santiago on the appointment, confirmation, recusal or substitution of an arbitrator will be final, without any need to state a reason.
Article 8
Number of Arbitrators
- One or three arbitrators may resolve a dispute.
- Failing agreement among the parties on the number of arbitrators, the dispute shall be resolved by one single arbitrator unless CAM Santiago decides that the arbitral tribunal must be comprised of three. In this latter case, each of the parties shall have a period of 15 days to appoint an arbitrator, counted from receipt of the notification of the decision of CAM Santiago in this regard, for confirmation thereof by the Center.
- The parties may appoint one single arbitrator by mutual consent if they agree that the dispute will be resolved by just one, which shall be confirmed by CAM Santiago.
- The arbitrator shall be appointed by the Center if the parties have not made such an appointment within 30 days following notice of the request for arbitration.
- If the dispute is to be resolved by a three-arbitrator tribunal, both the claimant, in the respective request for arbitration, and the respondent, in the answer thereto, shall appoint an arbitrator for confirmation. CAM Santiago shall make the appointment on behalf of any of the parties who does not name an arbitrator in such briefs. The third arbitrator, who shall, moreover, be the president of the tribunal, shall be appointed by CAM Santiago without having to state the reason for the same.
Article 9
Appointment, Confirmation and Acceptance of Arbitrators
- Save agreement otherwise by the parties, CAM Santiago shall consider, in the appointment or confirmation of one or more arbitrators, as relevant, the information on the nationality of the different parties and of the remainder of the arbitral tribunal, if collegiate, as well as the availability and aptitude of the arbitrators chosen to conduct the arbitration in conformity with these Rules.
- The resolutions of the CAM Santiago in this regard shall be rendered without stating the reason for the same.
- The arbitrators or co-arbitrators appointed by the parties shall only be confirmed by CAM Santiago if they have signed a declaration of independence in the terms set down in article 11 of these Rules.
- If the litigation is resolved by one single arbitrator, the nationality thereof shall be different from that of the litigating parties, unless CAM Santiago deems otherwise after consulting the parties, who may oppose this for good reason. The same shall apply to the president of a three-member tribunal.
- The arbitrators appointed and/or confirmed by CAM Santiago shall accept such position as soon as possible and the Center shall notify this acceptance to the parties. For all legal purposes, the date of acceptance of the arbitrator or last arbitrator, if a collegiate tribunal, shall be deemed the date that the arbitral tribunal is established
Article 10
Multiple Parties
- If there are multiple claimants and/or respondents in the respective requests for arbitration or answers thereto, whether a one- or three-arbitrator tribunal must be established, both the claimants, jointly, and the respondents, jointly, shall appoint the arbitrator in their respective briefs, according to these Rules.
- CAM Santiago shall appoint the relevant arbitrator(s) whenever there is no agreement on such appointment.
Article 11
Independence and Impartiality
- All arbitrators must be and remain at all times independent and impartial in respect of the parties.
- The candidate for arbitrator must, as a requirement in accepting his appointment, sign and send a written declaration to the CAM Santiago advising that he knows of no circumstance that may give rise to reasonable doubt as to his independence and impartiality. The arbitrator shall disclose to the parties and to the CAM Santiago without delay any circumstance arising subsequently that may reasonably affect his independence and impartiality.
- Notwithstanding the provisions in numbers 4 and 5 of this article, no party may establish communication with an arbitrator or a candidate for arbitrator in relation to the case unless the other party or parties are present.
- A party or the representative thereof may contact the candidate of one party for arbitrator for the following purposes:
- To advise the candidate of the general nature of the dispute and of the arbitration procedure; and/or,
- To ask the candidate about his traits, availability, independence in respect of the parties and impartiality in relation to the dispute.
- Save stipulation by the parties otherwise, any of the parties or the representative thereof may contact the candidate of the other party for arbitrator to receive information on and ask about the traits and suitability of the candidates for chairman of the arbitral tribunal.
Article 12
Recusal
- An arbitrator may be recused only if:
- There are circumstances that justifiably put his independence and impartiality in doubt; or
- The arbitrator does not have the salient traits agreed upon by the parties.
- A party may only recuse the arbitrator in whose appointment it has participated for reasons of which it learned after the appointment.
- When an arbitration agreement provides that a conciliator or mediator must be appointed and the conciliator or mediator must also subsequently act as arbitrator should the conciliation or mediation fail, a party may not oppose the appointment of the conciliator or mediator to the position of arbitrator based solely on the fact that he was a conciliator or mediator in all or certain matters heard in the arbitration.
- If a person appointed as conciliator or mediator in accordance with the arbitration agreement later refuses to act as arbitrator, the person who is appointed arbitrator in his stead will not first have to act as a conciliator or mediator.
Article 13
Recusal Procedure
- The party who attempts to recuse an arbitrator should send a written communication to the CAM Santiago explaining the reasons for the recusal within 15 days following the date when it learned of his appointment or of the circumstances indicated in article 12 above.
- Upon receipt of the request for recusal, the CAM Santiago will notify such a request to the other party or parties and to the members of the arbitral tribunal.
- If the other party or parties state their consent regarding the recusal submitted by a party, the arbitrator recused shall resign. Failing agreement among the parties as to the recusal, the recused arbitrator may resign in its own initiative. The resignation of the arbitrator from his position will not imply acceptance of the reasons for the recusal.
- Unless the arbitrator recused resigns from his position or the other party accepts the recusal, the CAM Santiago shall decide on such recusal without having to state the reason for the same.
Article 14
Termination of the Functions of Arbitrator
- The function of arbitrator shall terminate if:
- The arbitrator becomes incapacitated de jure or de facto to perform his functions of arbitrator or for any other reason does not perform such functions in a reasonable period of time and officially resigns or the parties jointly decide upon such termination. Failing agreement among the parties on those facts, any of the parties may request that the CAM Santiago declare the termination of the functions of the arbitrator after a hearing thereof;
- The request for recusal is accepted in the terms of article 12 of these Rules;
- The arbitrator resigns for any reason; or,
- The parties consider his functions terminated by mutual written consent.
- Whenever an arbitrator resigns or a party who has appointed or accepted the appointment thereof states his consent to termination of his functions as arbitrator in accordance with number 1 letter a. above or article 13 above, the arbitrator shall not be deemed to have accepted the applicability of the reasons indicated in number 1 letter a. above or in article 12 of these Rules.
- If an arbitrator in an arbitral tribunal comprised of three arbitrators refuses to participate in the arbitration even though his termination has not been formally decreed, the other members of the arbitral tribunal may continue with the arbitration procedure. Any decision, procedural order or award will be fully valid should the two arbitrators decide to continue with the arbitration procedure.
- The two arbitrators remaining in office should take into consideration the stage of the arbitration procedure when deciding whether or not to continue with such procedure, the reasons for which the third arbitrator refuses to participate or other relevant aspects.
- If the two arbitrators decide not to continue with the arbitration procedure unless the third arbitrator participates, the CAM Santiago shall consider the functions of the third arbitrator terminated and appoint a substitute in the terms set down in these Rules.
Article 15
Substitution of an Arbitrator
- When an arbitrator leaves office by virtue of articles 12 or 14 of these Rules or resigns for any other reason or is removed by agreement of the parties or the term of office thereof expires for any other reason, a substitute arbitrator shall be appointed according to these Rules applicable to the appointment of the arbitrator being substituted unless the CAM Santiago decides, at its exclusive discretion, that another procedure would be more appropriate or expeditious.
- Save agreement of the parties otherwise, when an arbitrator has been substituted, the arbitral tribunal shall determine whether one or more hearings held prior to the relevant substitution must be repeated.
- A change in the composition of the arbitral tribunal does not invalidate by that mere fact the resolutions rendered by the arbitral tribunal prior to the substitution of an arbitrator.