Funds, Good for Business, Latvia, Markets and Companies, Society

Koziols will replace long-time general-secretary Maris Balodnieks.

Businessman Koziols served as president of Latvian ice hockey club Riga Dinamo in its debut season, but left after one season.

Koziols' name has popped up in the so-called ''oligarch case'' on several occasions, and is believed to have had business connections in the past with one of Latvia's so-called oligarchs Ainars Slesers.

As reported, in an unexpected twist, Aigars Kalvitis, former Latvian prime minister and current CEO of the Latvijas Gaze natural gas utility, whose largest shareholder is Russia's Gazprom, was voted in as the LHF last week.

LHF delegates voted to recall the current board of the LHF during its annual congress last week, meaning that a new vote for LHF president was held, as none of the delegates put forward the long-standing LHF President Kirovs Lipmans as a candidate.

Kalvitis was then put forward as a candidate, with 18 out of the 21 delegates supporting his candidacy, with two delegates against and one abstention.

A new LHF board was also voted in - Valentins Blugers, Viesturs Koziols, Edgars Jansons, Armands Steinbergs, Ralfs Bukarts and Maris Martinsons.

Lipmans' rocky term as LHF president was to end in 2018. He had served as the president of the LHF since 1998 despite the various scandals, squabbles and odd decisions involving him over the years.