Corruption, Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Medicine

Saeima Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee Chairman Vitalijs Orlovs (Harmony) told LETA that the committee has received an application from the Corruption Prevention Bureau requesting permission to impose an administrative penalty on Belevics. The committee's deputies will discuss the issue next week.

The Corruption Prevention Bureau launched a probe into a possible conflict of interest on the part Belevics, as according to the law, state officials are not authorized to prepare or issue administrative acts, perform surveillance, control, probe, or punishment functions, sign agreements, or carry out other activities that may provide personal or financial benefit for the official, his or her relatives, or business partners.

The Corruption Prevention Bureau explains – board members of the company Saules Aptieka are relatives of Belevics, while 50% of Baltacon shares belong to his son, who is also the CEO of this company. The health minister has ordered a probe in connection with the State Agency Of Medicine's activities in providing information to the merchants. The probe was based on Saules Aptieka and Baltacon's application on the State Agency Of Medicine's activities, indicating that the Agency has provided the merchants with information about the sales volumes of specific medications. The said companies requested in their application to initiate a disciplinary case against several State Agency Of Medicine officials for revealing a business secret.

As reported, Belevics announced last month that Adovica will be laid off in November.

According to Belevics, Adovica's actions have led to very expensive medication in Latvia, as well as the fact that "newborns are being treated using medicine intended for grown-ups", hence, the drug registration tariff is so high, it is enforcing high prices.

The Health Ministry blames Adovica over her failure to observe the regulations on distribution of medications and quality supervision, namely a provision in the regulations that deals with reports submitted by companies operating in the sector.