Italian government pays off group of citizens who defaulted on taxes in Albania

Prime Minister Meloni asked the Italian embassy to pay the bill for a group of Italian citizens who skipped out on food at a restaurant in Albania.

A group of Italian tourists dining without paying at a restaurant in Berat, Albania, on August 15 has caused a stir on social media. Surveillance camera footage released by the restaurant shows four young Italian tourists leaving the restaurant without paying the $87 bill.

Italian Prime Minister pays off debtors in Albania

A group of Italian tourists leave without paying their bill at a restaurant in Berat, Albania, on August 15. Video : Facebook/STOP - TV KLAN

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama later said he raised the issue with his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni when the two met this week while she was on a tour of Albania.

"Mrs. Meloni grimaced and asked the Italian ambassador in Albania to 'pay the bill for those idiots and make a statement that Italy cannot lose its self-respect like that,'" Prime Minister Rama recounted.

The Italian Embassy in Albania confirmed on August 18 that it had carried out the Prime Minister's instructions and paid the bills for the group of citizens who defaulted on their payments.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Rome in November 2022. Photo: Reuters

"Italians respect the rules and do not default on their debts. We hope that such an incident will not happen again," the Italian embassy in Albania said in a statement.

Several Italian news agencies reported that the number of Italian tourists visiting the Adriatic Sea region in Albania for vacations has increased this year, apparently in search of quiet beaches at reasonable prices.

Ngoc Anh (According to AFP )

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