Ex-Georgian ambassador to Lithuania leaves Vilnius in rent arrears

VILNIUS – Former Georgian Ambassador to Lithuania Khatuna Salukvadze left Vilnius with rent arrears but even a court order has not made her pay the debt, the Lietuvos Rytas daily writes.

Salukvadze does not recognize the court ruling although the court concluded that she failed to meet her commitment to the landlord and ordered her to pay the debt and interest.

The former ambassador signed a fixed-term rental agreement for a luxurious apartment in central Vilnius with Spaniard Manuel Ruiz Garcia in September, 2016 and committed to live in the apartment until Sep 21, 2018 and pay 3,050 euros in rent every month.

When the agreement expired, the ambassador failed to renew it and refused to let the owner in. Salukvadze and her family left the apartment only in April when her ambassadorial term expired.

In late July, the court satisfied the lawsuit and ordered Salukvadze to pay the debt, interest and litigation costs. But the diplomat is in no hurry to do that as not a single euro has been transferred into the landlord's account over the three months after the court order.

Salukvadze denies she's in arrears and says there was no court and no final ruling, despite notification having been sent not only to her but also to Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.