The Port of Haifa is suing the State of Israel for NIS 2.5 million

(live here) – The Port of Haifa filed a lawsuit against the state, in the amount of NIS 2.5 million, for a "flagrant violation of a lease agreement", according to the lawsuit. The background to the lawsuit is the use of the fifth floor of the "Customs House" in the port area and the transformation facility, without the full amount being paid for the use , and later even without paying at all, according to the lawsuit.

In a lawsuit filed on behalf of the Port of Haifa, the plaintiffs claimed that the state leased the "Customs House", in the territory owned by the port and used a transformation facility, without meeting the payments agreed upon with it in advance and later even without paying at all.

the beginning of the lease

The claim letter indicates that in 1965 the State of Israel signed an agreement with the Ports Authority, under which the Authority acquired the state's rights in the various ports. As part of that agreement, the Ports Authority leased the customs house to the State of Israel. In 1982, a renewed agreement was signed following the state's intention to build another floor on the "Customs House" as well as a transformation station. As part of the agreement, the government appraiser determined that the state would pay a lease fee of one hundred and thirteen NIS, for two years. Later, the amount was increased to one hundred and fifty-seven thousand NIS. As of 1987, no agreement was signed extending the agreements established up to that time, and from that point on, the state's use of the leased territory was not regulated by any contract.

The attempts of the series

In 2005, following a constitutional change, the plaintiff was established as a government corporation, and was given a letter of authorization to serve as the Haifa Port Company. Among the assets transferred to the plaintiff is the customs house, located in the operational area. With the establishment of the Haifa Port Company, it tried to reach renewed agreements with the Treasury, without success. In 2017, the Treasury announced that the state was exempt from paying for the use of the property, and even demanded that the rent paid be deducted from it.

From the statement of claim:
"As of January 2016, the state has completely, unilaterally, stopped paying for the lease of the fifth floor of the customs house and the transformation station, which constitutes a blatant violation of the lease agreement, and even justifies its cancellation."

Filing the statement of claim

In the absence of payment for the disputed area, on Monday (25/12/22) the Haifa Port Company filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Finance, demanding payment of user fees for the leased area. The claim is estimated as mentioned, in the amount of about NIS 2.5 million, not including fees and fee payment.

The Ministry of Finance responded:
"As usual, we will respond within the legal framework."