LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- The French judge at the center of the Olympic figure skating scandal faced her accusers Monday at a tension-filled hearing she called unfair and a "massacre."

The judge, Marie-Reine Le Gougne, and French federation chief Didier Gailhaguet say the International Skating Union has stacked the case against them to justify awarding duplicate gold medals at the Winter Games.

Le Gougne and Gailhaguet appeared before the ISU council on the first day of a two-day hearing to answer charges they manipulated the results of the pairs event to make sure the Russians won.

"It was very intense," said Max Miller, one of Le Gougne's American attorneys, in summing up the day's atmosphere inside a spacious hotel conference room with a view of Lake Geneva and the Alps.

Le Gougne and Gailhaguet appeared separately at a 3 1/2-hour morning session to state their defense and answer questions from ISU investigators.

During a 5 1/2-hour afternoon meeting, both were in the room as the council heard from eight witnesses, most of whom have made allegations against the French pair.

ISU president Ottavio Cinquanta, flanked by chief investigators Gerhardt Bubnik and Gerhard Zimmerman, sat on one side of the room; Le Gougne, Gailhaguet, their lawyers and the witnesses sat across from them.

"At a certain time it got a bit confrontational," said Sally Stapleford, the chair of the ISU technical committee.

Several more people will be called Tuesday morning, including a surprise witness -- one of Gailhaguet's drivers in Salt Lake City who allegedly overheard him in discussions with Russian skating officials. The ISU council is expected to deliberate and announce its verdict by Tuesday evening.

Le Gougne was suspended indefinitely by the ISU after saying she was told by Gailhaguet to vote for the Russian pair ahead of the Canadians, who were eventually awarded the duplicate gold medals.

Le Gougne later retracted the accusation.