By: Tiana Cole | HGP Nightly News
Guyana is awaiting a major international ruling that could carry significant financial consequences for the state, following the conclusion of arbitration hearings between the Government of Guyana and Smart City Solutions Holdings Inc. over the controversial Georgetown parking meter project.
The hearings, which were held before the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Paris, began on September 29 and concluded on October 4, 2025.
Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, S.C., confirmed on his television program Issues in the News that Guyana now awaits a key decision in what he described as a “high-stakes legal battle” over the scrapped 2017 parking deal—one that could cost the country up to US$100 million if the ruling goes against the state.
“It included the examination-in-chief of the witnesses as well as the evidence adduced through cross-examination,” Nandlall stated, noting that both parties have since presented their closing arguments.
“The tribunal has reserved its decision for a date to be announced, and the parties will be informed in due course.”
The dispute stems from a 2016 contract signed between the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC)—under then Mayor Patricia Chase-Green—and Smart City Solutions for the introduction of a paid parking system in Georgetown.
The parking meters became operational in January 2017, but widespread public protests and backlash led the then-coalition government to suspend the bylaws that permitted the system, effectively terminating the project.
As a result, Smart City Solutions filed an international arbitration claim seeking US$100 million in damages for alleged losses due to the termination.
The tribunal’s ruling, expected in the coming months, will determine whether Guyana must compensate the company or if the state’s termination of the contract was justified.
