Georgia, Tbilisi, October 21 / Trend N. Kirtskhalia /
The Georgian Ministry of Finance has failed again to sell a cottage in the village of Tskneti (a suburb of Tbilisi), owned by ex-Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, leader of the opposition party 'Democratic Movement - Unified Georgia', Nino Burjanadze.
They tried to sell the cottage for half of a sum - 6 million lari ($ 1 = 1.67 lari). But there was no proposal for purchase.
The first auction was held on October 7. Cost of the villa amounted to $12 million. It was not purchased.
On August 27, the Tbilisi City Court decided to sell the cottage, previously arrested by the Taxes Service.
Before, the court obliged Burjanadze to pay taxes worth 1,25 million lari (about $760,000) for possession of the house in Tskneti. This house was given to her by President Mikheil Saakashvili in May 2008 for a symbolic price of 1 lari (about $0,6).
Later financial supervision bodies were interested in in the cottage. A trial was held. The court determined that cost of the cottage hits 12 million lari (about $ 7 million). The court admitted the Services' actions as legitimate. The Service called for Burjanadze to pay 1,25 million lari as a tax for possession of such property to the Ministry of Finance.
Burjanadze said that the cost of her cottage as "inflated" and did not pay too high tax.
The Service arrested her villa on Aug. 24. The court met the Service's demand to get permission for its sale on August 27.
Yesterday Burjanadze visited the villa and took all her things.
Now the real estate will be owned by the state, Georgian Deputy Minister of Finance, Irakli Gvaladze, told media on October 21. He also stressed that another auction is not excluded. The cottage's cost will hit 3 million lari at the third auction.
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