AS faction chairman Edgars Tavars stated at the meeting that during the faction’s meeting with Transport Minister Kaspars Briškens (P) it was not clear whether the invested funds would be recovered, so the deputies made a request to Siliņa as the head of the government.
The MPs wanted to know, in general, what were the possible scenarios for dealing with “airBaltic”, who were the authors of these scenarios.
The MPs were also interested in the role of the Prime Minister when the government accepted the specific scenario of a possible reduction of the share capital of “airBaltic”. Politicians wanted to find out how long the Prime Minister had information about a possible reduction of the share capital of “airBaltic” and whether the Cabinet of Ministers had already made decisions about it.
The politicians also wanted to find out whether any minister had opposed the reduction of the share capital in the vote, as well as whether the Prime Minister agreed with the opinion that the decision on the reduction of the share capital should have been taken by the Saeima, taking into account that the previous investments in the share capital were decided by the legislator.
The parliamentary secretary of the Ministry of Transport (MoT) Đirts Dubkēvičs (P) emphasized that the decision to reduce the share capital of the airline has not yet been taken, that is, the process has started, but it has not yet ended.
According to the representative of the MoU, questions about “airBaltic” include a significant commercial secret, and considering that negotiations are underway with a potential strategic investor, the government’s decisions taken on August 30 cannot be disclosed until the initial public offer process is successfully completed. After that, the information may be disclosed to the extent permitted by the legal and regulatory framework, following good business practices.
Tavars wanted a clear answer to what the real value of “airBaltic” is. Dubkevičs replied that the value of the company is determined by market conditions, and so far “airBaltic” shares have not been listed on the stock exchange.
Deputy Linda Liepiņa (LPV) criticized that “once again” government representatives have prepared answers to the request at the last minute and sloppily. The opposition politician expressed that she was not convinced that the Prime Minister manages and controls the situation.
Tavars said the same, emphasizing that the questions were addressed to Silina, but no representative of the prime minister’s office was present at the commission meeting. The AS received a letter from the Prime Minister, but did not get a substantive answer, Tavars emphasized.
It has already been reported that on September 2, information appeared in “Firmas.lv” that, in preparation for the initial public offering (IPO) process, the share capital of the Latvian national airline “airBaltic” will be reduced by 571.293 million euros, as well as the company’s existing share structure will be simplified.
According to the regulations of the share capital reduction, the share capital of “airBaltic” so far is 596.473 million euros, thus the share capital of “airBaltic” after the reduction will be 25.179 million euros.
On the same day, representatives of “airBaltic” informed the LETA agency that on August 30, the government looked into questions about “airBaltic” preparing for an IPO. In the preparation process, “airBaltic” will simplify the company’s existing share structure so that it becomes more attractive to investors.
Meanwhile, the General Prosecutor’s Office has started an investigation in connection with the government’s decisions regarding “airBaltic”.
2024-10-03 08:43:03