Russian squatter flees Canberra embassy after Supreme Court ruling
Russian squatter suddenly FLUES Canberra embassy after losing to Supreme Court – following bizarre confrontation with Australian authorities
A Russian diplomat who has been squatting on land near Parliament House in Canberra has suddenly left – after the nation lost its last ditch effort to hold the ground.
The Supreme Court of Australia rejected attempts by Russian officials to issue an injunction against recent federal laws terminating the Russian Federation’s lease on the embassy property.
Justice Jayne Jagot said Russia’s arguments for holding on to the embassy site were weak and there was no basis for granting the order.
Shortly after the decision, Sky News footage captured the moment when the mystery man who lived on the property stormed out and got into a waiting car, before driving off.
A white van was mysteriously parked at the front of the lot.
A mysterious Russian diplomat has cracked into the grounds of the Canberra embassy (above) – but now appears to have left
Laws ending the diplomatic land’s lease were passed by parliament earlier this month, citing national security risks.
The Russian diplomat has since been seen in a shed at the site where the country was blocked from building an embassy.
The Russian embassy in Griffith, a Canberra suburb in southern Canberra, will not be affected by the decision.
The Commonwealth wrote to Russian officials over the weekend that the government would not release the embassy site while the trial was ongoing.
But Commonwealth lawyer Tim Begbie KC said he had not heard a response.
“I am not criticizing my friend for not responding to this letter. Russia has had other things on its mind this weekend,” he told the court on Monday.
Justice Jagot said while a previous attempt by the National Capital Authority to terminate the embassy lease was ruled invalid by a federal court, the new federal laws took precedence.
The embassy site where the Russian diplomat crouched in a granny flat
The National Capital Authority granted the lease for the Yarralumla site in December 2008 and construction approvals followed in 2011.
Under the lease terms, Russia had agreed to complete construction within three years, but the embassy remains partially built.
Lawyers for Russian officials told the court that the new federal laws “have no impact on the general public,” arguing that millions of dollars would have been wasted on construction at the site.
While the court rejected the order from Russian officials, it is not known whether a future challenge to the overall validity of the laws will be heard.