All About Latvia

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For once we get some good news from Latvia.

While I understand that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, I find it hard to believe that a man who’s been hiding the source of his immense wealth has a clear conscience.

You don’t have to be a whiz kid to know whom the President Vaira Vike-Freiberga described as “so-called oligarchs” when she delayed the publication of the amendments to the national security laws last week.

No one else could fit the mold better than the mayor of a sea port city of Ventspils and a close comrade of Latvian politicians, Aivars Lembergs.

He realized that, which is why he shifted to the offensive Monday, poo-pooing the President’s actions, and defending government’s adoption of the changes to the national security laws.

Police detained Lembergs, a controversial figure in Latvia, this morning and charged him with two counts of bribery, three counts of money laundering, and information falsification on an income declarations.

Today, perhaps, he will cry his arrest is a form of political prosecution. But who will listen?

The mayor of a major transit port for Russian oil, he has close ties with government politicians and is alleged to be the secret owner of a large part of the oil-transit business.

A judge at an arraignment hearing at the Center District Court in Riga tonight is deciding whether Lembergs should go to jail on the preliminary charges.

In the parliamentary elections last year, Lembergs was a candidate to the post of prime minister from the Union of Greens and Farmers.

The President and Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis were informed of the events.

“There are heavy consequences for him not only personally, but also in connection with his professional work,” said the President.

From Wikipedia:

“Lembergs is among the wealthiest people in Latvia. The true extent of his wealth is unknown to public, because the ownership information of Venstpils companies is not publicly known. The estimates of his wealth by Latvian media range from 85 million to 230 millions euros. But, even his publicly known wealth is quite large. According to his income declaration, Lembergs’ 2005 income was 8.6 million lats (€12.3million).

“The details of how Lembergs accumulated his wealth are largely unknown. His past business partner, Ainars Gulbis, has accused Lembergs of obtaining a large share in their Kalija Parks company by threats to Gulbis and Kalija Parks. Lembergs is a subject of an on-going criminal investigation by Latvian authorities and was charged with bribery, money laundering and abuse of elected office on July 20, 2006.”

Taken in 2006, the photo reads “Lembergs Is Not a Thief,” a part of the mock advertising campaign in Riga last year.

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The government quickly backpedaled on its amendments to the national security laws Monday, after the President set the stage for a national referendum on the proposed law, or the government as a whole really, Saturday.

Yet, in spite of the government’s decision to void amendments to the national security laws, which the President said, would favor the so-called oligarchs, the referendum may still take place. According to the law, the Central Election Commission will begin collecting more than 150,000 signatures three weeks following the President’s announcement.

The government is fearful of the outcome of the referendum, which is why it wants to avoid the national poll at all cost. Everyone realizes cynical Latvian voters will evaluate work of the government and the Saeima as a whole, not just these national security laws.

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From RIA Novosti:

RIGA, March 12 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and Latvia will sign a border treaty March 27 settling their long-running territorial dispute, Latvia’s Foreign Ministry said Monday.

It said the agreement was reached by the Russian and Latvian foreign ministers in a telephone conversation and that the treaty will be signed by the countries’ prime ministers in Moscow.

The Russian news agency didn’t mention that although both prime ministers were selected to sign the border agreement between the two countries, President Vaira Vike-Freiberga said she is willing to travel to Moscow for the ceremony. No word yet if President Vladimir Putin will attend.

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An unidentified source told the Russian-language Buzness & Baltia newspaper the President’s testing waters for her next job. President Vaira Vike-Freiberga’s second and final term expires in June.

The President announced Saturday the push for a national referendum regarding national security laws in the country. If the people support the President in the referendum, Vike-Freiberga can go on to dismiss the Parliament and call early parliamentary elections.

“Then she will return to public serve in a new role: as a speaker of the Parliament or a Prime Minister,” the source said.

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