Under the authority of the President of the Chamber and with the assistance of the Registrar of that Chamber, the rapporteur is empowered to hear the parties, take evidence and make any findings that may be useful in ascertaining the truth. He may ask the parties for any exhibits or documents that may be useful in resolving the dispute.
The rapporteur draws up minutes of each hearing. Each party or witness’s evidence is read out. The minutes shall be signed by the rapporteur and the person heard, or a statement shall be made to the effect that he is unable or unwilling to sign.
The documents collected by the rapporteur and the minutes of the hearings are placed in the case file by the registry, which communicates them to the parties to enable them to submit observations under the same conditions as the pleadings.
The rapporteur submits his report to the President of the Chamber, which is an objective statement of the facts, the documents in the case file and the investigative steps taken.