Italian lawyer Giulio Palermo, who chaired the panel of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in the case concerning Russia's return to international hockey, visited Moscow shortly before the ruling was issued. The trip raised questions about the judge's impartiality. Yle reports this, citing the Swiss publication Inside Paradeplatz, writes UNN.
Details
According to journalists, on September 22, Palermo spoke at the Russian Arbitration Conference at a hotel in Moscow. At the same time, CAS was not aware of his trip in advance.
On October 9, the lawyer was appointed chair of the arbitration panel in the case between the Russian Ice Hockey Federation and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Subsequently, CAS unanimously overturned the ban on Russian teams participating in international competitions, finding the IIHF's substantiation of security risks insufficient.
How CAS and the judge himself responded
The Court of Arbitration for Sport stated that Palermo visited Moscow privately, at his own expense, and that his trip was unrelated to the case.
CAS also emphasized that the parties could have challenged the judge's independence after his appointment, but neither of them did so.
Palermo himself called the allegations concerning his role unfounded and defamatory. He also said that he was considering filing a lawsuit to protect his reputation.
At the same time, Swiss journalists note that there is no direct evidence of the judge's bias.
CAS insists that it assessed exclusively the legal justification of the IIHF's decision. The practical conditions for the return of Russian teams to competitions, including the possibility of their participation under a neutral status, were not considered by the arbitration panel.