The international arbitration court gave the verdict in the case of Gabriel Resources against the Government of Romania. The executive announced that Romania won.
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Romania won the trial and will not be obliged to pay the compensation of almost 7 billion dollars in the case of Roșia Montană to Gabriel Resources. The decision was communicated to the Government of Romania by the World Bank's International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).
“According to the Decision of the Arbitral Tribunal, Romania wins the case against the accusations made by Gabriel Resources Ltd. and Gabriel Resources (Jersey). Moreover, the plaintiffs are obliged to reimburse Romania the court costs related to the arbitration procedure. In the next 20 days, the reasons for the ICSID decision will be published”the Romanian Executive sent, which welcomed the decision and thanked all those involved in defending the interests of the Romanian state.
The file could be declassified following the decision
“We fought for Romania because it was unfair that every employee and pensioner of this country should be penalized for the mistakes of politicians who acted against Romania's interests. Thank you to the team of lawyers who represented Romania with professionalism, honor and honor! Romanians must not suffer because of the decisions of prime ministers who put personal interests above national interests”Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu sent.
The government also stated that “Romania wants the full publication of the arbitral award. Therefore, if the arbitral tribunal will draft the arbitral award without referring to the confidential information in its possession, then the arbitral award will become public in its entirety and will be published on the website of the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes”.
The Roșia Montană trial
The final decision in the case of Roșia Montană, whether the Romanian state will be obliged to pay compensation or not, was expected since February 10.
President Klaus Iohannis stated at that time, in a press conference, that he expected the Government “to do absolutely everything necessary” and to have taken precautions.
The Head of Government recently stated in a discussion with journalists that he would hold a referendum to consult the Romanians regarding exploitation.
Roșia Montană was included in the UNESCO Heritage in 2021. However, the decision regarding mining is a political one, so it rests in the hands of the government leadership.
Politicians blame each other
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu was convinced last month that there will be discussions with the Gabriel Resources company regarding the sums owed by the state, in the context in which the government expects the World Bank Tribunal to give a decision unfavorable to Romania in the trial for the gold project in Apuseni.
The Head of Government then also stated that he would request all the documents related to the process, “so that the Romanians know the truth”.
“In any case, I promise you that I will make all the documents, all the abuses, all the political and administrative decisions taken so that Romania loses this process available to you, and the Romanians will know very clearly who was wrong in this case”Marcel Ciolacu also stated.
The Prime Minister also later declared that Dacian Cioloş should not comment on the Roşia Montană file, arguing that he signed for the entry into UNESCO in the last minutes of his mandate as Prime Minister.
“On the day when Sorin Grindeanu took the oath at the Cotroceni Palace (…) while the Prime Minister of Romania went to receive his mandate from the President of Romania, in his last minutes as Prime Minister, Dacian Cioloş signed for Roşia Montană to enters UNESCO, although he had dozens of information from all the ministries, from all the lawyers, that if he does this, he will be the object of the trial and there is a danger that Romania will lose that trial. This is the truth”, Ciolacu also stated.
For his part, former Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș asked the PSD to take responsibility for the state's loss to the Gabriel Resources company. “Marcel Ciolacu should urgently call his current adviser, Victor Ponta, or his former party leader, the same Victor Ponta, and explain why the Romanians always and always have to pay in their place. Let it be clear to everyone: Roșia Montană is a PSD business from which these people want to make money regardless of how this process will end. Either through illegal exploitation or through percentages resulting from the process. The rest is a political masquerade set up by Marcel Ciolacu and the other beneficiaries”Dacian Cioloș wrote on Facebook.
