STOKHOLM, March 27. /ITAR-TASS/. Purchasers of the house of Russia’s Trade Mission in Stockholm, who bought the building at an auction of the Collection Service, have expressed regret over the deal, ТТ news agency reported on Thursday.

“We have lost 2 million kronas (€220,000),” Billy Uney, one of the purchasers, said in an interview with the news agency.

He is critical about the very idea of putting up for sale a house that became focus to legal battles. “This costs substantial sums from the pockets of Swedish taxpayers. It certainly has already cost them more than the house is worth itself,” Uney believes.

The residential house of Russia’s Trade Mission in Stockholm was sold February 18 at an auction of the Collection Service upon the request from German businessman Franz Sedelmayer, who claimed a sum of about five million euro as compensation for his investments lost in a joint investment project with Russian authorities in St. Petersburg in the early 1990s. The transaction value amounted to 20.5 million kronas (over €2.2 million). At the auction, 10% of the sum was paid.

According to the rules, the purchasers of the house could formally come into ownership March 27, after arranging the payment for the house. However, now the buyers do not have money to pay the transaction, since the banks do not provide the promised loan. “Now it became clear that banks backed down,” Uney said.

Representative of the Collection Service Peter Stigefeldt, the deposit sum is not returned to the purchaser in case of compulsory auction sale. At present, the official does not have information whether there would be another auction to sell Russia’s Trade Mission house.