Deputy Justice Minister: Legally, Khazaradze, Japaridze agree with ICJ judgement that Anaklia port failed due to their faults

“Legally, it can already be said that [Mamuka] Khazaradze and [Badri] Japaridze have agreed with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s assessment that the Anaklia port could not be built due to their fault,” stated Deputy Justice Minister Beka Dzamashvili.

According to Dzamashvili, “the complainants blamed the state, claiming that the Anaklia port could not be built due to the state’s fault, and they were demanding compensation of approximately four billion Georgian Lari from the budget.”

“However, the international arbitration court fully shared the positions, arguments, and evidence presented by the Georgian government and determined that the Anaklia port project could not be implemented solely due to their fault.

They failed to find adequate financial resources, and there was no obstruction from the state. On the contrary, the state repeatedly extended the deadline for the project implementation, and ultimately, it could not be implemented due to their fault.

Regarding the position of the complainants, they now agree with the arbitration court’s decision that the port could not be built due to their fault as they had the legal means to appeal this decision. There is a kind of annulment procedure, which they did not use. Accordingly, they also paid the imposed amount of approximately two million Georgian Lari.

According to Dzamashvili, the government’s victory in this case “helped Georgia avoid significant legal, political, and economic risks.”

The International Arbitration Court ruled in favor of the Georgian government on July 30, ordering the complainants to pay 650,000 dollars to the state.