Sapeha Foundation Branch Loses Office

This week the office problem faced by the Vitsebsk Regional Branch of the Leu Sapieha Foundation got worse. The branch was once again requested to leave the premises, where NGOs have a formally registered legal address.
On 24 October the residential maintenance company of Pershamaiski Borough of Vitsebsk sent a letter to Sapeha Foundation, which said that the rental agreement would not be renewed because the office now occupied by the non-governmental organization would be used for other purposes". The company proposed that the NGO leave the premises before September 1.
"This demand violates the related law, where the Landlord must advise the Tenant in advance", said Vital Brouka, of Sapeha Foundation.
Following up on the letter from the residential maintenance company, the chair of the local branch of the Sapeha Foundation Chrystafor Zheliapau appealed to Vitsebsk City Executive Committee, requesting that the rental of the office occupied by the NGO for about ten years be renewed.
"For more than a month the situation of the public organizations seemed ok", says Mr. Brouka. "We even got the impression that everything would be fine, all the more so that the October rental was paid in full and accepted by the residential company". However, more than a week ago a letter came from the city executive committee: the issue was removed from the agenda of the city administration and transferred to the residential company of Pershamaiski Borough. Obviously, this is how the executive committee officials chose to avoid responsibility. And the residential maintenance company again demanded that the public organization leave the office.
Meanwhile, Vitsebsk Regional Branch of the Leu Sapeha Foundation is not going to give up their office. "We are preparing to take the matter to court because we think that the residential company has acted in an ungrounded and illegal manner", said Mr. Brouka to belngo.info.