Section D — Appeals

A person who has a conflict of interest or was a member of the protest committee shall not take any part in the discussion or decision on an appeal or a request for confirmation or correction.

The national authority shall accept the facts found by the protest committee unless rule R5 applies.

The national authority may:

• (a) uphold, change or reverse the protest committee’s decision (including a decision on validity or a decision under rule 69),
• (b) order that the hearing be reopened, or
• (c) order that a new hearing be held by the same protest committee or by a new protest committee (which may be appointed by the national authority).

If the national authority orders a hearing to be reopened, it may limit the scope of the reopened hearing to such issues as it considers appropriate.

If the national authority decides that a boat that was a party to a protest hearing broke a rule and is not exonerated, it shall penalize her, whether or not that boat or that rule was mentioned in the protest committee’s decision.

The decision of the national authority is final. The national authority shall send its decision in writing to all parties to the hearing and the protest committee, who shall be bound by the decision.