Industry, Investments, Latvia, Markets and Companies

Asked about reports that Ukrainian investor Volodimir Novikov has been showing interest in the Latvian medicines producer's shares, Berzins said that no potential investors has made any official offer as yet and that he therefore cannot comment on these reports. 

Berzins said, though, that he has heard about three potential Olainfarm investors. "I have heard about three candidates mulling an acquisition of Olainfarm shares. This is no surprise, because interest in the company is international. Olainfarm is being eyed by [potential investors] from Latvia, Ukraine and the Czech Republic, but since they have not shown formal interest, I cannot comment," Berzins said.

This past summer, Peteris Rubenis, a board member of Olainfarm's key shareholder Olmafarm, told LETA that Novikov, who is also director of Ukrainian pharmaceutical company Zdorovye, had represented the company in previous Olainfarm shareholders' meetings and that this information caused concerns about possible deals that might have been made unbeknownst to Olainfarm heiresses. 

The beneficial owner of Zdorovye is Russian politician and businessman Alexander Shishkin who, according to Russian media reports, is linked with organized crime.

Signe Baldere-Sildedze, the custodian of late Olainfarm owner Valerijs Maligins’ youngest daughter Anna Emilija Maligina, told LETA in the summer that persons linked to Recipe Plus drug wholesaler are trying to acquire Olainfarm shares and that these persons were selected by Maligins' other heiresses - Irina Maligina and Nika Saveljeva. Recipe Plus denied these allegations.

Olainfarm makes medicines, food supplements, active pharmaceutical ingredients