Airport, Baltic States – CIS, Financial Services, Latvia, Markets and Companies

International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Thursday, 28.03.2024, 20:51

Small firm from Riga promises to invest EUR 40 mln in Moldovan airport's development

BC, Riga, 16.01.2017.Print version
Polo Invest, a company whose registered office is an apartment in Riga, has applied to lease an airport in Moldova, promising to invest EUR 40 mln in the airport's development although the company's annual turnover has never exceeded a few thousand euros, according to TV3 broadcast Neka Personiga (Nothing Personal) reported last night writes LETA.

The broadcast refers to Moldovan journalists who have found out that a company from Latvia wants to lease the airport, promising EUR 40 mln investment and major reconstruction projects at the airport. The Moldovan media reported earlier that the country's government was planning to make a local airport, located in northern Moldova 80 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, a base for European low-cost airlines. The airfield's runway is to be extended, a modern passenger terminal and a four-star hotel will be built there.


According to Neka Personiga, Polo Invest was established in August 2012 by one Kirils Sokolovs. In four years, the company has never been involved in any large-scale business, while the company's owners and registered offices have changed several times.


Two years ago, Sokolovs sold the company to a Belarusian citizen, while last July Sergejs Jaresko was the owner of the company for a few months. The broadcast notes that Jaresko was once implicated in possible money laundering transactions through Riga's Trasta Komercbanka.


Last October Jaresko sold Polo Invest to Vyacheslav Likerov, a citizen of Moldova. Dainis Rozenfelds was appointed Polo Invest board member, and Rozenfelds' apartment on Stabu Street in Riga became the company's registered address. The company's share capital is EUR 2,800, it has a staff of one.


Likerov's name was not associated with Latvia before, but in Moldova he is known as the former leader of the pro-Russia movement Equality and deputy head of the Russian Community Congress of Moldova.


Moldovan Transport and Road Infrastructure Minister Iurie Chirinciuc refused to comment on Likerov's role in the airport project. At the end of 2016, the ministry received Polo Invest's offer to lease the airport. The ministry concluded that the company was not involved in any business, but its bank account held USD 4.5 mln. It is currently unknown whether and where the company would take EUR 40 mln from, and what agreements have already been signed with the Latvia-registered firm. According to the Moldovan Transport Ministry, the government of Moldova will not incur any financial liabilities.


Neka Personiga also reports that the three years ago Chisinau Airport was leased to a company for a period of 49 years. The company has since changed hands three times. The current owner of the company is Cypriot offshore Komaksavia Airport Invest Ltd., whose sole owner is Modris Karklins, 62, a resident of Moscow.






Search site