Does a virtual final hearing meet the requirement for an oral hearing?

The pandemic has lead to that many final hearings are held digitally. A question that has arisen is whether the requirement for an oral hearing according to section 24 of the Swedish Arbitration Act (1999: 116) is met. Our view is that a virtual final hearing meets this requirement for an oral hearing provided that credibility witnesses are heard physically. However, there are many divided opinions about this and the Svea Court of Appeal is currently trying a number of challenged arbitration awards in which the arbitral tribunals have decided to hold a virtual final hearing against a party's opinion. Read our article Virtual negotiation to be equated with oral negotiation?