Financial Services, Latvia, Legislation, Markets and Companies, Transport

Vladimirs Vaskevics.

The Corruption Prevention Bureau has declined to comment on the criminal case as this might hamper the investigation.

Latvian State Television's broadcast "De Facto" reported previously that the documents seized from Vaskevics' office may have contained information on various enterprises and their executives, including printouts from the State Revenue Service and customs' systems.

Ten years ago, Poctovojs, then director of an oil product trade company, was detained in a criminal case on fraud and sale of contraband fuel. Poctovojs was later released and the charges against him were dropped, writes LETA.

In fall of 2009, the Criminal Police arrested Poctovojs' 46.6 percent shares in Baltik Oil Group, because, once again, Poctovojs was a suspect in a case on fraud and sale of counterfeit goods.

State Police's Riga Region Administration press secretary, Toms Sadovskis, told LETA that the investigation in this case continues still, and Poctovojs has the status of a suspect in accordance with two Criminal Law's sections, on fraud and (maximum applicable jail sentence – thirteen years) and unauthorized use of trademarks, other distinguishing marks and designs (maximum applicable sentence – four years).

Baltik Oil Group is already insolvent now. The company's administrator Inese Lamasa told LETA that she did not know Poctovojs and had only seen him once, when the company's insolvency was being reviewed by a court.

As reported, Prosecutor Arvis Miglans pointed out to members of the press last week that Vaskevics had given bribes to a high-ranking State Revenue Service official on several occasions.

The prosecutor was evasive on comments in regard to who received the bribes, however, he pointed out that this person is a high-level Revenue Service official.

LETA has unofficial information that the bribes may have been given to Revenue Service's deputy director general Talis Kravalis. Investigators have recorded at least one conversation between Vaskevics and Kravalis, not far from the Revenue Service's building.

Portal "Pietiek.lv" reports that Kravalis has been granted witness protection.

Vaskevics was detained on January 31 by Corruption Prevention Bureau officers on suspicion of bribing a State Revenue Service official. The latter was paid over EUR 50,000 to shirk his duties in control of contraband and tax paying, also to ignore wrongdoing on the part of others.

Vaskevics has since been suspended from his post by Finance Minister Andris Vilks.