As first reported by the BBC, a whistleblower has come forward with two claims against Ben Sulayem.
The first accusation is that he attempted to get a penalty overturned in last year’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, when Fernando Alonso was reprimanded for Aston Martin having prematurely touched his car during a pitstop when he was already serving a five-second penalty for incorrectly lining up at the race start.
Ultimately, the team successfully protested the penalty and Alonso was reinstated in third.
However, it is said that Ben Sulayem called FIA vice-president for sport in the Middle East and North Africa, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, and made it clear he thought the penalty should be revoked.
The second case against Ben Sulayem is that he put pressure on officials to not homologate the Las Vegas GP street circuit ahead of last November’s blue-riband event for F1.
The FIA has issued a statement in response, which reads: "The FIA confirms that the Compliance Officer has received a report detailing potential allegations involving certain members of its governing bodies.
"The Compliance Department is assessing these concerns, as is common practice in these matters, to ensure that due process is meticulously followed."
Source: Autosport