ICSID Declines Spain’s Request To Disqualify Tribunal For Planning Virtual Hearing

(December 22, 2020, 1:41 PM EST) -- WASHINGTON, D.C. — The chairman of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) Administrative Council in a decision published Dec. 18 rejected the Kingdom of Spain’s proposal to disqualify a tribunal hearing a claim brought against it by four German banks after finding that the tribunal’s decision to hold a hearing virtually due to concerns about the risks of traveling during the novel coronavirus pandemic was based on an appropriate risk assessment and not grounds for disqualification (Landesbank Baden-Württemberg, et al. v. Kingdom of Spain, No. ARB/15/45, ICSID)....