The next session in the Rotterdam court on the cases of the Azerbaijani Government and Maltese FIMbank (First International Merchant Bank) is expected to take place by the second quarter of this year, Trend reports with reference to the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology of Azerbaijan. According to the representative of the Ministry, at present the Ministry has received an official letter that possibly the meeting will take place by July, instead of April as originally planned. During the previous meeting of the court at the end of December 2006, evidence of the ex-President of FIMbank was heard.
During the next session, the second witness from the bank and possibly verbal evidence from both parties will be heard. The exact date has not yet been agreed.
In July 2004 Maltese FIMbank raised a claim against the Azerbaijani Government regarding the non-payment of credit issued under the guarantee of the Communications Ministry and AKB Pochtbank to non-existent enterprises of the Ministry, Aztell, in amount of $3,035,000 and Baktell $1,560,000.
Azerbaijan has already been successful in the first session of this court investigation. In November, the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology of Azerbaijan received an official conclusion from the Paris Court of High Instance (Tribunal Le Grande Instance de Paris) in favor of the Azerbaijani side, which was passed on 10 November, as a result of the court session on October 13. According to the resolution, the bank should pay off в'¬5,000 for inflicting moral damage to the Azerbaijani Government and an additional в'¬9,000 for court affairs.