Advertising, Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Port, Transport

Ainars Slesers.

According to the Corruption Prevention Bureau, the criminal case, opened on May 20, deals with investigation into actions by several high-ranking state officials who may have participated in running several companies and also received dividends from the shares that they clandestinely own in the companies: Rigas tirdzniecibas osta (Riga Commercial Port), Zakusala Estates, Jaunrigas attistibas uznemums, Euroline, Baltijas aviacijas sistemas, Abi krasti and others.

According to materials in the case, one state official, a Saeima member, has been involved in the making of various decisions since 2004, and also participated in and influenced various decisions regarding Rigas tirdzniecibas osta (Riga Commercial Port), which in fact belongs to this same official. The investigators have established that the MP, via various confidantes, planned and organized several financial schemes the result of which Zein Holding AG, which, via other companies, holds a 36% stake in Rigas tirdzniecibas osta, in fact became the property of the MP, reports LETA.

The investigators have also established that the MP, in order to keep his influence on the board of the Freeport of Riga after election to the 10th Saeima, pulled strings so that a member of the MP's political party be appointed chairman of the board. This was done thanks to support from certain Saeima members who voted for the appointment of that person as the chairperson. In exchange, a Ventspils councilman demanded that a contract be signed with a company on the placement of Freeport of Riga advertisements in this company's mass media entity.

Another section of the criminal procedure says that the official, probably through misuse of authority, signed, on behalf of the national airline airBaltic, several fictitious advertising contracts with several mass media to achieve popularization of the MP's political party and himself.