German envoy in Georgia probed over opposition-linked apartment

Georgia’s Revenue Service has launched an investigation into the German ambassador’s rental of an apartment owned by the family of opposition politician Mamuka Khazaradze.

In a statement, the agency said an initial review had identified a possible breach of the country’s tax code, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

“The Revenue Service has already begun examining the matter and will carry out all legally mandated tax control measures to fully assess the information,” it noted.

The move follows a report by Georgian television channel Rustavi 2, which claimed that Germany’s ambassador in Tbilisi, Peter Fischer, was renting the property from Khazaradze’s wife.

The apartment, located on Kavlashvili Street in the historic Old Tbilisi district, reportedly spans 300 square metres. It is unclear whether a formal rental contract exists or whether the Khazaradze family has been paying income tax on the arrangement.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze described the development as an example of “political corruption.”

“The ambassador first rents a residence from an opposition politician, then follows him to a campaign event in Bolnisi, while also directly engaging in other forms of opposition activity.

All of this points to corruption in the broad sense — deeply entrenched in today’s European bureaucracy,” he said.

By Aghakazim Guliyev