as Baltic News Network reports on September 23rd, we have to learn, that more and more distrust is taking place against the Latvian ports.

The article explains, that: The hysteria of members of Latvian Transit Business Association (LTBA), different experts and some of Saeima deputies regarding any possible involvement in freeport Boards in fear of ruining the entire industry as a result in no longer surprising in any way. The very same people who sit in LTBA also work in the Boards of Latvia’s freeports. They are the same people who largely dictate the agendas of Transport Ministry and its subsidiaries, claims Baltic Association for Transport and Logistics.

BATL representatives comment the concerns over Latvia’s transit industry: “The industry’s competitiveness is definitely improved by the freeports’ forced, technologically expensive investment projects and have investors’ wallets hold up state owned hydro-technological structures’ decommissioning expenses and other multi-million costs? The transit industry’s generated multi-million income’s investment into projects unrelated to the industry (many of which have gone bankrupt or are close to it) strongly “increase” the transit industry’s competitiveness. The industry’s “growth”, of course, cannot be imagined without consent from investors, whore are prepared to spend enormous amounts of money in litigations with port Boards. And finally the facts mentioned in State Audit’s reports regarding misappropriation of funds also largely contribute to the “development” of the industry. This also includes all the previous scandals, violations and litigations that involve members of freeport Boards. The same members whose continuous remainder in their posts clearly signalizes: choose Latvian ports – we know where to put your money.”

Read the full story here:

Baltic News Network in English

Baltic News Network in Latvian

Baltic News Network in Russian

Diena.lv

One more time we have to read articles on corruption and mismanagement around Latvia and its free port.

As published on September 22nd, 2013 we read in Diena.lv, LA.lv, 10minutes.lv, labz.lv, delfi.lv, tvnet.lv and bnn-news.com the following, really worrying article:

“BATL supports the initiative to divert profits from port activities to Latvia’s state budget

The Biedrība Baltijas asociācija – Transports un loģistika (BATL) supports the initiative of the Economy Ministry to amend the current regulations to allow the transfer of a portion of Latvia’s ports’ revenue to the state budget starting January 1, 2014.

“It is not the introduction of new taxes on port Boards that will reduce the overall competitiveness of Latvia’s transit corridor but the state’s inability to prevent the arbitrariness of the management teams of Latvia’s ports, which often results in scandals, criminal accusations, irresponsible realization of investment projects and other unpleasant activities. This fact is proven with conclusions from the prosecutor’s office, Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau, the European Commission and courts,” – as BATL informed BNN.

“We are certain that it is not possible to increase the competitiveness of Latvia’s transit corridor while the arbitrariness of Latvia’s ports still remains, allowing port Boards to freely operate state and municipal assets, not pay taxes and freely manipulate port financial resources as they see fit,” – BATL states.

BNN reports further more:

This is why BATL has decided to support the ministry’s initiative. The association believes that this step will become a signal for the improvement of Latvia’s transit corridor. BATL believes it will not only supplement the state budget but will also force members of port management Boards to seriously rethink their current lifestyle.

…”

Read also in Latvian and Russian on the BNN news portal

The Baltic News Network on their reports about plan of BATL to get the Ventspils Free Port Authority management replaced (in Latvian). The interesting article published on November 4th 2011 reads as follows:

“Ventspils Free Port Authority (VFPA) has long been practicing systematic violations and purposeful contra-action towards business interests of companies operating in Ventspils port, Baltic Association of Transport and Logistics (BATL) told BNN.

“Openly irrational actions, hidden and short-shortsighted decisions taken by the VFPA managers as well as delayed decision-making often endanger and will keep endangering foreign investments in Latvia. This undermines Latvia’s reputation of a decent business partner and lays grounds for deteriorating political and economic Latvia’s relationship with the western and the eastern neighbouring countries,” Aivars Gobins, Chairman of BATL, writes in an open letter to the Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis, Transport Minister Aivis Ronis, Economy Minister Daniels Pavluts, Finance Minister Andris Vilks, Local Government and Regional Development Minister Edmunds Sprudzs and first deputy of Ventspils City Council Janis Vitolins.

He points out that, during the past ten years, companies operating in Ventspils port and Ventpils City Council opposition deputies have repeatedly approached the Saeima, the President, ministries as well as other competent authorities with complaints about the VFPA’s negligence over investors.

“The reason for that might be the officials’ private interests, which serve as an obstacle for investors to develop their businesses since they are not considered to be loyal to the city power. Moreover, we have also come up with possible solutions and law amendments that have been neglected so far.”

“The VFPA board reviews nearly all proposals, requests and applications by such “unloyal” companies behind closed doors, without participation of investors representatives. These meetings are entirely secret, which alone suggests that the management of the port has a reason to conceal their motives behind their weird and unreasonable decisions. The VFPA is also often avoiding meetings with investors representatives,” according to the letter.

…. ”

Read this article in English or Latvian in the Baltic News Network Portal.

as the Baltic News Network reports according to BATL – the Ventspils Free Port is lobbying its companies instead of the interests of Latvia.

In the article published June 9, 2011 BNN reports, that

“The Baltic Association of Transport and Logistics (BATL) warns Ventspils Free port administration’s activities against AS Ventspils Grain Terminal clearly suggest once more the changes are necessary within Ventspils Free port administration.

Kazakh investors own 100% of AS Ventspils Grain Terminal, which is a perspective project to strengthen the economic relations between Latvia and Kazakhstan. If the project was implemented successfully, it would be a signal also for other investors to place financial resources in the Latvian economy. The association agrees to Economy Minister Artis Kampars description of Ventspils Free Port activities – irresponsible, mismanaged and anti-governmental, according to BATL statement.

BATL, which is made up by the leading companies operating in Ventspils Free Port, point out they are forced to deal with the methods of its administration and its arbitrary, economically ungrounded and different decisions regarding a number of companies.

Similalry, BATL also stresses the port has turned into a private company run by a small number of individuals and its key aim is no longer to develop the port but to lobby «their» companies and harm others. …”

Read the whole article in English or Latvian in BNN.

Articles related to the same subject can be found at:

Delfi.lv

News.lv

Riga24.lv

Batl.eu

Judge Melina strikes again in the Ventbunkers/LNT case

the article describes horrible conditions in the latvian law system and sheds a strange light on corruption in Latvia.

Read the full article at Baltic Course.

The press release from AS Ventbunkers is available in three languages:

in English: inf130319-judge-Melina-Ventbunkers-EN

in Latvian: Melina-ventbunkers-LV-19.03.2013

in Russian: VBU-Melina-RU

The article of BNN reports this threat with reference to inside sources.You can find the original English Article here.

There is also a Latvian and a Russian Version available.

Rease an abstract here:

There are suspicions about possible attempts to steal Latvias Naftas Tranzits‘ (LNT) cash worth millions by means of issuing a loan to Oleg Stepanov’s company Topmar.

It is said that Stepanov is trying to make sure LNT Supervisory Board agrees to pay Topmar the share belonging to Ventbunkers/Ventrans Riga. This is the reason for the convened LNT  Supervisory Board meeting.

It should be mentioned that this kind of scheme was done already last year: it circumvented the property arrests presented in Lembergs’ case.

Stepanov’s need for LNT’s money within the Ventspils transit business is explained with both the need to maintain the millionaire’s expensive place of residence and the political ambitions in expectation of change in government, for the realization of which Ventspils transit business players traditionally use company resources. In the last half-year, there have been signs that Stepanov has formed an alliance with Aivars Lembergs, on behalf of which he conducted negotiations for extensive settlement during the so-called Ventspils transit war.

...

Find the Articles in:

Baltic News Network:

Dzintars Kass disgraces himself over trumped-up charges

The Ventspils prosecutor Nadezda Jakusonoka on July 24, 2012 dismissed alleged charges of intentionally concealing information from the tax authorities (Art. 217, Subsection 2 of the Criminal Code) against the legitimate Ventbunkers management board members Alvis Haze, Janis Haze and Mihhail Dementjevs. Thereby she rejected false accusations and established that their activities had no nature of offence in accordance with this clause...

Readon in Baltic News Network English, Latvian

More articles on Dr. Rudolf Meroni can be found here:

Amazon - books written by Dr. Meroni

Astonishing Latvia on Dr. Rudolf Meroni

The BNN article in English language starts as follows:Under the title "Prosecutor General's Office too weak for Lembergs" BNN reports:

The accused Latvian politician Aivars Lembergs seems to be gradually recovering his control over the Latvian oil business. His moves remain unnoticed and are partly approved by inactions of the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Ventspils millionaires Olafs Berkis, Olegs Stepanovs, Igors Skoks and Genadijs Sevcovs have been elected into the AS Ventspils nafta Supervisory Council. They are all believed to have in mind one and the same thought of selling the Latvian oil business. They intend to do it bypassing the state as the potential owner of the seized Lembergs’ shares.

Besides, the persons have carried out a variety of schemes that have brought the state and the company huge losses. Now there is a possibility that national oil business will simply be sold and the money will travel straight into the pockets of Lembergs and Berkis. But the Prosecutor General’s Office seems not to to be concerned.

The enthusiasm from 2007 about the fight against corruption has practically faded and politicians no longer fear possible punishment that much. Lembergs recently gained access to oil companies’ money in cooperation with Berkis, Skoks, Sevcovs and Stepanovs, who had falsified documents and held a number of fake shareholder meetings. This makes it easier to keep bribing politicians and officials who are never tortured by their conscience.

Lembergs also benefits from Berkis’s public relations campaign, where false facts cast shadows over the legitimate management of AS Ventbunkers.

In most cases, when they talk about the true Ventbunkers’ majority shareholder, they choose to miss out on a crucial detail. Although they do mention the Swiss attorney Rudolf Meroni, they never say a word about the national interest of Latvia as a state.

Looking back at the events leading up to the dispute among Lembergs, Berkis and Meroni, it should be noted that back in the summer of 2005 100% of shareholders appointed the Swiss attorney as the Chairman of AS Ventbunkers Supervisory Council. Already back then, a fight broke out between the shareholders Berkis, Stepanovs, Skoks and Sevcovs, who could not find common ground with Lembergs. As a result, Meroni turned out to be the neutral party – later to be appointed as the custodian of the assets seized within the framework of criminal proceedings.

In 2009 it emerged that not only Lembergs had employed schemes to direct money away from Ventbunkers. Also Berkis and his associates had done the same via the two clients of the company – Gunvor and Litasco.

To read the full article please go to BNN-NEWS.COM - or check the Latvian Version at BNN.LV.

Riga, Latvia: On December 28, 2011, an associate of Martins Kveps' law firm once again submitted to the Register of Enterprises brutally falsified documents of a Shareholders' Meeting, which never took place and which had never been convoked. This is the fifth attempt of the notorious Kveps to illegally seize control of the company Ventbunkers, one of the most important enterprises involved in the Oil Transit Business in the Latvian port of Ventspils.

On June 27, 2011, the legitimate Management Board of Ventbunkers convoked a Shareholders' Meeting to take place on December 20, 2011. The legitimate Shareholders of AS Ventbunkers properly carried out this Shareholders’ Meeting. More than 70% of the Shareholders were represented at the Meeting. The results of this legitimate Shareholders' Meeting were submitted to the Register of Enterprises and properly registered on the following day.

But then, three days later, on the 23rd of December 2011, Martins Kveps dared to try to hold another Shareholders' Meeting of Ventbunkers, which had never been convoked by the Management Board and never took place. From the list of participants, it becomes obvious for whom Kveps made this brutal falsification. Kveps represented the company Topmar Baltic Investments, beneficially owned by Oleg Stepanov. Janis Berkis represented the company Kement, owned by his father Olaf Berkis. Additionally two other companies, Steropes Limited and Gyges Limited, participated even though they are not and never were shareholders of A/S Ventbunkers. These two companies belong to Igors Skoks and Gennady Shevcovs respectively. However,  the most intriguing  detail is as follows:  Liga Lemberga,  Anrijs Lembergs and Optima Management also participated in the false meeting. It is well known that these three Shareholders are acting in the interest of Aivars Lembergs. Therefore, it is equally obvious that Lembergs also stands behind this brutal falsification.

The time of false and illegal corporate actions seems not to be over yet in Latvia. With a simple and criminal falsification, such as was made by Kveps and his cohorts, it seems to be possible for anyone to submit documents to the Register of Enterprises, have them registered and give the (wrong) appearance to the public of changes to the legitimate management of a company. Ventbunkers is submitting a criminal complaint to the investigation authorities. It is hoped that the General Prosecutors' Office will intervene and stop such brutal falsifications and criminal acts from reoccurring in the future.

http://baltic-news.net/bn/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/inf111221-Defeat-in-the-court-may-lead-TM-security-to-criminal-proceedings.pdf

Loss was suffered at Ventspils City Court on Monday when insolvency application for a/s Kālija parks was dismissed. The security company TM security, the one dragged into political scandals, had submitted the application. And now this may subject the company's officials to the criminal liability. According to information that is available to Pietiek, corresponding application regarding the commencement of criminal proceedings has been already sent for investigation to Ventspils Police.

Under the judgment of Ventspils City Court that is available to Pietiek, the application of TM security is declared to be deliberately false. According to Section 214 of the Criminal Law those responsible may be subject to the imprisonment for a term of up to two years.

Security firm TM security – the one dragged into the political scandals – was defeated in the court by a/s Kālija parks, when the security firm tried to recover more than 2 million lats from the Ventspils transit company. Lion's share of this sum is made by the contractual penalty in the amount of 1,84 million lats. On Monday, December 19, Ventspils City Court dismissed the insolvency application for a/s Kālija parks, submitted by TM security. The judgment is final and is not subject to appeal.

According to the judgment, the court declared the insolvency application, submitted by TM security, as being “deliberately false”. The company Kālija parks wishes to use this court judgment for further fight against the scandalous security firm, referring to the extortion of money, when insolvency proceeding in the dispute at issue was tried to be illegally used.

Section 214 of the Criminal Law “Submission of a False Application for Insolvency” stipulates that for a person who submits such application for insolvency wherein false information has been provided or there has been concealment of information, if due to the application the insolvency proceedings may be announced or was announced (knowingly untrue insolvency proceedings application), the applicable sentence is deprivation of liberty for a term not exceeding two years or community service, or a fine not exceeding eighty times the minimum monthly wage, with or without deprivation of the right to engage in entrepreneurial activity for a term of not less than two years and not exceeding five years.

When dismissing the insolvency application, submitted by TM security, Ventspils City Court in the judgment stated that “the applicant has used insolvency proceeding in order to recover the debt, but this does not conform to the objective and purpose of the insolvency proceeding”. “The court considers that the application has been in a deliberately false manner submitted, because the applicant had already initially known that there is a dispute regarding the rights. This may be proved both by the debtor objections that were submitted by the applicant itself, and by the fact that even before the submission of the application for insolvency the applicant was informed about the commencement of proceedings before Kurzeme Regional Court. The court noted that such circumstances fully convince that the other contractual party does not recognise the obligations and dispute them. Despite that, this did not stop the applicant to submit the application for insolvency to the court,” says the judgment of 19 February. In the judgment Ventspils City Court refers to the civil action brought to Kurzeme Regional Court on 29 September by a/s Kālija parks against TM security and several other persons, including the sworn attorney Mārtiņš Kvēps where the legitimacy of the claims made by the security firm has been disputed.

As Pietiek had already reported, the owner of security firm TM security, Mārtiņš Tenbergs, over the last couple of months was trying to obtain the power over politicians, but in the political and business corridors he has positioned himself as the “gray cardinal” of those six independent deputies that have split from the Zatlers' Reform Party. Pietiek had already informed about the methods that are being applied by TM security in its activity when trying to take over companies using the indebtedness caused by doubtful agreements. Information that has not been officially confirmed indicates that representatives of a/s Kālija parks have delivered to law enforcement authorities some record of conversation with Tenbergs, which this autumn took place in one of the Old Town restaurants. In the conversation the owner of TM security offered Kālija parks to pay the compromise sum, which was more than 10 times smaller than the one which the firm later on wanted to recover, by initiating the insolvency proceeding. Additionally to this money Tenbergs had requested “to give some extra money as a tip to be used for some very expensive hotel”.

The contract at dispute between a/s Kālija parks and TM security was signed on 29 April 2010 allegedly for one day in order to influence the shareholders' meeting which on that day took place, by not letting the change of power in Kālija parks happen, when company would slip away from the hands of the so-called opponent of Lembergs – Oļegs Stepanovs. The same has already happened with AS Ventbunkers, which was continued to be guarded by TM security using force for several months even after the control was lost, not letting that the new representatives of majority shareholders enter the company. At present the Chairperson of the Supervisory Boards of both Kālija parks and Ventbunkers is the Swiss attorney Rudolf Meroni who represents one of the four mutually conflicting parties in the so-called Ventspils transit war. Sources related to Ventspils transit business had explained to Pietiek that TM security managed to conclude “at the last moment” the contract with Kālija parks, when it was clear that the ones who hire the security firm would have no possibility to pay for the services from the companies over which the control had been at that moment lost. In other words – the contract served for pumping out money from the company.

AS Kālija parks is one of the largest mineral fertilizer exporters with the total transshipment capacity till up to 7.5 million tons per year. The largest consumers of products that are being exported through Kālija parks is China, India, Brazil, USA.

read the original article at pietiek.com: http://www.pietiek.com/raksti/zaudejums_tiesa__tm_security__draud_ar_kriminalprocesu