White & Case has successfully represented the State of Georgia in a dispute concerning the Anaklia Port project, with an ICSID tribunal’s unanimous dismissal of claims filed by Dutch businessman Bob Meijer under the Georgia-Netherlands BIT.
According to White & Case, the dispute related to Mr. Meijer’s 6.06% indirect shareholding in the Anaklia Development Consortium and Anaklia City JSC, with allegations tied to Georgia’s termination of the investment agreement and an alleged failure to establish a planned free industrial zone. Mr. Meijer sought nearly USD 70 million in compensation. The ICSID tribunal sided entirely with Georgia, holding that the claimant’s stake in Anaklia City JSC did not qualify as a protected investment and that Georgia had not breached any treaty obligations. The tribunal also awarded Georgia USD 6.5 million in arbitration costs.
The White & Case team included Paris-based Partners Charles Nairac, John Willems, and Noor Davies, Counsel Bachir Sayegh, and Associates Yutty Ramen, Ece Akincibay, Yasmine El Achkar, Elise Roussel, and Konstantine Kopaliani.
