A British ski instructor who was banned from teaching in France has started a legal bid to clear his name.
Lawyers acting for Simon Butler, who was found guilty of teaching in Megeve without the correct paperwork, have obtained a court order against his professional body.
It claims a “conflict of interest” from board members with “business interests” in the same French resort where he is based, the Telegraph reported at the weekend.
Butler was arrested off a chairlift on the slopes of the resort in February, whilst teaching a group of holidaymakers.
A French court later found him and several of his staff guilty of teaching without the correct paperwork and fined him £24,000.
His professional body, the British Association of Snowsport Instructors, had not issued him with a licence to teach in France, despite him having made an application and holding the highest level of qualifications in British skiing.
He had his membership of BASI revoked earlier this month for “knowingly and continually” placing his staff “in danger of prosecution for working illegally”.
But lawyers acting for Butler were granted a court order on Friday for the immediate reinstatement of his membership.
The Petition, to the Court of Session in Edinburgh, states board members of BASI also have “business interests” in Megeve, the same ski resort that Butler’s ski school is based in.
His business lost a reported £500,000 when he was banned from teaching and he was forced to quit France for a new resort in Crans Montana, Switzerland.
He has appealed the French judgment, but faces prison if he is unsuccessful and does not pay the fine.
The row centres over the fact that Butler qualified before the introduction of a controversial rule that all non-French teachers had to pass the ‘Eurotest’, a timed high-speed slalom run, in order to work in France.
French authorities introduced the test in 2004, in order to ensure on the best and safest instructors are able to teach.
Butler insists his qualifications, which he achieved in 1985, are the equivalent of this test, giving him automatic ‘granddfather rights’.
Other ski instructors who qualified before 2004 were issued with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) by BASI which enabled them to teach in France.
However Butler has fought a long-running legal battle to obtain his own MoU.
A BASI spokeswoman said the organisation had 21 days with which to lodge answers to the petition and will be taking legal advice.