It's perfectly valid to question whether or not a conflicted judge pulled any strings to hear the case - that sort of thing goes on, and he has shown lack of judgement at best and outright corruption at worst. Everything about his position in this case needs to be thoroughly investigated, but that's one of the most important things IMHO. If he made any effort to hear this case himself, that makes lack of judgement less likely and planned corruption more likely.
If a conflicted judge pulled strings to hear the case, this proves a conspiracy. This accusation should be thoroughly investigated and, perhaps, the way cases are assigned should be rethought.
