The FIA intends to implement a series of revisions to the statutes of the audit committee and the ethics committee, according to a report by the BBC on Tuesday. The proposed rule changes would reportedly reduce the level of accountability required from FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem. Furthermore, it could make it more difficult for whistleblowers to expose questionable behavior within the FIA in the future.
The proposed changes to the internal statutes within the FIA would mean that ethical complaints would come under the supervision of the FIA President himself, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, and the chairman of the FIA Senate, rather than the Senate. Additionally, the audit committee would lose its authority to independently investigate financial matters. The revisions are reportedly set to be voted on during the general assembly on December 13.
Should the general assembly indeed agree to the rule changes, the audit committee would no longer be able to conduct an independent investigation. “Critics argue that the changes would essentially neutralize the ability of whistleblowers to expose questionable behavior to the ethics and audit committees and the ability of those committees to take action against any potential misconduct,” explains BBC Sport.
Controversies
The rule changes follow a season marked by several controversies within the governing body of Formula 1. Allegedly, Ben Sulayem set up a ‘President’s Fund’ of 1.5 million dollars to pay so-called ‘members clubs’. These clubs then vote for the FIA president. It is also claimed that the FIA president interfered twice with the course of a race, including the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2023. Ben Sulayem reportedly tried to reverse a penalty for Fernando Alonso.
Several FIA executives, including the head of the audit committee, Bertrand Badre, and compliance officer Paolo Basarri, also had to leave the governing body this year. Basarri was even reportedly dismissed after he reported the allegations against Ben Sulayem to the ethics committee.
