Russia's attempts to prevent Australia from taking back embassy land are dismissed by the High Court

 A last-ditch attempt to prevent the Australian government from stripping

Russia of its right to a new embassy has failed after a judicial challenge was rejected by the court.

The Russian government's justifications for retaining the site, according to High Court of Australia Justice Jayne Jagot, were tenuous, and there was no legal basis for issuing an injunction, she ruled on Monday.

The Australian government's June 15 decision to revoke the lease on land close to Parliament House in Canberra was the subject of a request for an injunction from the Russian Federation. The 2008 lease was given in order to make it possible to construct an embassy that would be larger than the current diplomatic mission.

Last week, in an attempt to stop its confiscation, Russian diplomats resorted to squatting on the property. The man who was residing on the block, according to AAP's report this morning, has since left the area in a vehicle with diplomatic license plates.

With Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stating that there was "very clear" security advice about the risks Russia would pose with a new facility close to the Parliament House, the federal government cited national security concerns as the reason for terminating the lease with Russia.

Decision Prime Minister Prime Minister

 Albanese expressed his appreciation for the High Court's ruling on Monday during a press conference.

He told reporters in Canberra: "The court has made clear that there is no legal basis for a Russian presence to continue on the site at this time.

"We anticipate the Russian Federation to follow the court's ruling,"

The federal government would not think about locating any other embassies on the same site in the future, the prime minister added.

"There won't be any embassy from us there. Future governments will take into account what it is, but as of right now, I believe that area to be a good one. However, we anticipate the law to be followed. We will take the purpose of the land into consideration.

Tim Begbie K.C., the attorney defending the Australian government, claims that the government informed Russian officials by letter over the weekend that it would not release the embassy site while the legal challenge was pending. The letter received no response from Russian officials.

"I don't hold it against my friend that she didn't reply to this letter. In reference to the most recent coup attempt by the mercenary Wagner Group, Begbie told the court on Monday that Russia had other things on its mind during the weekend.

Mission Saga Older Than Ten Years

The Russian government had initially agreed to finish construction three years after its building licenses were obtained in 2011, according to the original lease signed in 2008 with the National Capital Authority (NCA), which oversees the diplomatic district in Canberra, Australia's capital.

The NCA gave the Russian government, which maintains another embassy at a different location, 20 days to evacuate the property in August 2022.

Sally Barnes, CEO of the NCA, at the time stated, "While early activities have started, the block in issue has been sitting as a building site with unfinished development for many years now.

"With few blocks currently accessible for diplomatic purposes, the NCA supports a policy of 'Use it or lose it' unless a country can demonstrate a willingness and ability to develop the site."

The Russian Embassy has been contacted by The Epoch Times for comment.