Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Real Estate

Adventika Group informs in a statement to the media that bailiffs, acting on behalf of Light, have been removing and taking away movable property from the Skonto Stadium since April 7. That is why Adventika Group has turned to the police, asking that a criminal process be started and bailiffs be held responsible for exceeding their authority.

Adventika Group has also taken other steps - it has turned to a court asking that bailiffs' activity be halted, as well as to the justice minister and Latvian Council of Certified Bailiffs.

Earlier, Adventika Group also asked the State Police to open a criminal case against Light, accusing the latter of fraud. Adventika Group explains that it jointly acquired the Skonto stadium with Light in 2015, but in 2016 Light filed a civil suit against Adventika Group, seeking property rights to part of the movable property. While part of the movable property has been arrested, the property may not be dismantled, not until the matter is heard before the court. Yet for some reason, just the opposite has occurred and movable property is now being removed from the Skonto Stadium, notes Adventika Group board member Aleksandrs Krakovs.

"We have every reason to believe that the company, which is trying to forcibly take away part of movable property that belongs to us, may be associated with company SSA, the previous owner of the Skonto Stadium, which obviously wants to be paid twice for one and the same property," commented Krakovs.

Adventika Group is currently considering its options, but the main function of the stadium is not to change, not in the foreseeable future, and Skonto will remain a football stadium. At the beginning of 2016, Adventika Group leased the stadium to company Fitnesa Parks for a two-year period.

At the moment, lighting systems and seats are being removed from the Skonto Stadium. Allan Selter, the owner of the Light company, told portal Delfi earlier that arrest and removal of the movable property had been authorized by courts. According to Delfi, Light owns the stadium's scoreboard, the players' tunnel, and the goals.

Latvian Football Federation said it hoped all the parties involved - Fitnesa Parks, Adventika Group and Light - would be able to reach a compromise. The federation is ready to help the parties' negotiations as it wishes the matter to be resolved as quickly as possible. It has also requested Adventika Group and Light to provide their explanations of the current situation.