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Riga port CEO to stay in office through ongoing prosecution

Xinhua, November 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

The Freeport of Riga Board on Thursday decided to leave the port's CEO Leonids Loginovs in office despite a criminal prosecution launched against him over alleged abuse of power.

Andris Ameriks, chairman of the Freeport of Riga Board, told reporters after the board meeting that it was decided not to dismiss Loginovs and his deputy Aigars Pecaks, who is also being probed as part of the investigation, because information provided by the prosecution was insufficient to remove them from their current positions.

If the port managers are found guilty and convicted, they will be sacked. For the time being, the law enforcement authorities have imposed no restrictions on them.

"I have no information at my disposal that would give me legal grounds to decide on Loginovs' suspension," said Artis Strucka, a representative of the economy ministry on the Freeport of Riga Board.

Riga Mayor Nils Usakovs, who also sits on the Freeport of Riga Board, said that the accusations leveled against Loginovs were not grave enough to worry about the damage Loginovs might cause if left in office.

"There are no reason whatsoever to talk about corruption or greed," Usakovs said.

The decision to leave Loginovs in office was taken unanimously.

According to investigation materials that have been sent to the Prosecutor General's Office, Loginovs, misspent more than 277,000 euros (298,000 U.S. dollars) of the port's funds in four years.

His alleged violations include paying bonuses to Riga Freeport employees at a time when the Latvian government had imposed a ban on bonuses for employees of state-owned enterprises, providing over 100,000 euro in financial support to a nautical school in the southwestern Latvian port city of Liepaja and using the port's money to make a 7,100 euro donation to Fukushima earthquake victims.

A criminal probe was launched in 2013 after an audit report alleged unlawful activities at Riga Freeport. The so called Riga Freeport case is still under investigation.

In 2013, the Latvian State Audit Office released a report accusing Riga Freeport of misspending over 58 million euros.

The Riga City Council, whose representatives sit on the Riga Freeport Board, refused to sack Loginovs saying they had to wait for the law enforcement authorities' findings first. Endit