Court orders Georgian ex-ambassador to pay rent arrears for flat in Vilnius

A court has ordered Khatuna Salukvadze, Georgia's former ambassador to Lithuania, to pay rent arrears for an apartment in downtown Vilnius, but the diplomat does not recognize the decision and says she will not pay, the daily Lietuvos Rytas reported on Thursday.

In late July, the Vilnius District Court ordered the diplomat to pay Manuel Ruiz Garcia, the landlord, almost 8,000 euros in rent arrears, nearly 150 euros in penalties, and almost 1,500 euros in litigation costs.

The former ambassador did not exercise her right to appeal against this decision, but insists that she owes no rent to the landlord and does not intend to pay him, according to Lietuvos Rytas.

"The landlord has some fantasies. There was no court. Nobody accepted any unfounded claims," she told the paper. "What had to be paid has already been paid, and what did not have to be paid will not be paid."