Get an Independent Second Opinion Before You Rebuild

It is extremely common, and sometimes correct. Reading unfamiliar code is harder than writing new code, and a rewrite is a bigger contract, so the recommendation arrives for mixed reasons. An independent read separates them.

No. Reviews are assigned to engineers who are not candidates for the work, because the whole value of the opinion depends on them having nothing to gain from either answer.

A written assessment in plain language: what state the code is in, whether the recommendation you received is justified, and what you should ask before committing money.