Defendant Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Fahd, the late King Fahd's son, has secured permission to have Peter Smith J's ruling in the case heard by the Court of Appeals on May 16. Though the exact nature of the allegations against Peter Smith J remain unclear, it is known that Prince Abdul Fahd is bringing the appeal on five grounds, one of which is 'apparent bias' on the part of the judge. The March 18 directions hearing for the appeal was overseen by Britain's second-most senior member of the judiciary, Master of the Rolls Lord Dyson. It is understood that the appeals hearing has been expedited to May in order to make sure it occurs before Lord Dyson's planned retirement in July.
The November ruling marked the apparent end of a 12-year legal battle between the Fahd family and Janan Harb, a woman who describes herself as the 'secret wife' of the late Saudi King Fahd. Ms Harb claimed that the late king had promised to provide her with 'lifelong financial support' and that his son, Prince Abdul Fahd, had reneged on a deal involving a £12m payout and the transfer of two properties in London following the death of his father.
This is not the first time that Peter Smith J has come under scrutiny for conflict-related issues. Last year, the High Court judge recused himself from the British Airways air cargo cartel case after lawyers for the airline argued that an ongoing squabble between Peter Smith J and BA over an incident in which the judge's luggage was lost by the airline could cloud his judgement in the ongoing case.
Source: The Lawyer
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