Commercial Arbitration Act 2017

For this section, a person is a person in default in relation to proceedings before an arbitral tribunal under an arbitration agreement if the person fails to—

attend before the arbitral tribunal for examination when required under a subpoena or by the arbitral tribunal to do so; or

produce a document that the person is required under a subpoena or by the arbitral tribunal to produce; or

when appearing as a witness before the arbitral tribunal—

take an oath or to make an affirmation or affidavit when required by the arbitral tribunal to do so; or

answer a question that the witness is required by the arbitral tribunal to answer; or

do any other thing which the arbitral tribunal may require.

Fail includes refuse (see Legislation Act, dict, pt 1).

Unless otherwise agreed by the parties, the court may, on the application of a party or the arbitral tribunal, order a person in default to do any or all of the following:

attend the court to be examined as a witness;

produce the relevant document to the court;

do the relevant thing.

A party may only make an application to the court under subsection (2) with the permission of the arbitral tribunal.

The court must not make an order under subsection (2) in relation to a person who is not a party to the arbitral proceedings unless—

before the order is made, the person is given an opportunity to make representations to the court; and

the court is satisfied that it is reasonable in all the circumstances to make the order.

A person must not be compelled under an order made under subsection (2) to answer any question or produce any document which the person could not be compelled to answer or produce in a proceeding before the court.

If the court makes an order under subsection (2), it may in addition make orders for the transmission to the arbitral tribunal of any of the following:

a record of any evidence given under the order;

any document produced under the order or a copy of any such document;

particulars of any thing done under the order.

Any evidence, document or thing transmitted under subsection (6) is taken to have been given, produced or done (as the case requires) in the course of the arbitral proceedings.

There is no equivalent to this section in the Model Law.