The Taking of Documentary Evidence in International Arbitration under the IBA Rules (PDF)

Master's Thesis from the year 2023 in the subject Politics - International Politics and Country Analyses, grade: 1,7, , language: English, abstract: This thesis explores the success and enduring relevance of the International Bar Association (IBA) Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Arbitration. Interestingly enough, while the IBA Rules suggested a very well-developed regime for the taking of documentary evidence, most of the focus of arbitration scholars was mainly about its notable mechanic that grant parties the possibility of obtaining documents from the adverse party.

While it is understood why such sophisticated mechanic would attract the attention of scholars, it is still crucial to acknowledge that such mechanic is just one facet of a comprehensive and multifaceted system. Accordingly, the thesis attempted to englobe the whole regime of the taking of documentary evidence under the IBA Rule while following at the same time a structural approach that respect the natural progression the arbitration procedure and adheres to the methodological reasoning suggested by the IBA Rules.

With that being said, the dissertation starts by emphasizing the particular problem that international arbitration poses in regards to the production of documentary evidence as it involves parties, counsels and arbitrators coming from different legal systems. In this sense, the IBA Rules attempted to provide mechanics that combines the best of both words and potentially may satisfy all the participants whatever is their origins. Such unique approach can be seen through 2 main level: The ethical practices that should be adhered to by the different participants and the investigation practices within the arbitration proceedings

Even though the mechanics of presenting and collecting evidence is arguably the most important task that parties are expected to perform, Without the right approach to the appraisal of documentary evidence, such contribution would inevitably be redundant. In this context, it seems that the IBA Rules followed a cautious approach by conferring significant discretion to the arbitral tribunal when it comes to the appraisal of documentary evidence. The term "appraisal" in this context was intended to encompass both the admissibility and assessment of evidence, as addressed in the IBA Rules. However, it is important to note that these two phases possess distinct characteristics, despite often being conducted simultaneously by arbitrators in practice. Nevertheless, for the sake of clarity and methodological analysis, the thesis attempted dug in depth in each phase independently.