2023-04-16 20:13:00
The “de facto” broadcast of Latvian Television reports that the board member and owner of “Dienas Media” Edgars Kots stated in his explanations to the court that in fact, these were not loans, but gifts, and several press publications, mainly the “Diena” newspaper, were covertly financed in this way.
Kots also named to the court the persons in whose interests and for the good of “Ostas Parks” the money was given to the publishing house. It is the trio known as oligarchs – Ainārs Šlesers (LPV), Andris Škēle and Aivars Lembergs (LunV).
The connection between Andras Škēles, Ainārs Shlesers and Aivars Lembergs with the press editions “Diena” and “Dienas biznes” has been talked about and written about for more than a decade. It has been discussed both in the notorious “Rīdzene” talks and in the meetings of the parliamentary investigation commission. However, all three are oligarchs or sometimes brothers in their influence in this media
The so-called Rowlands have always denied it, and it has never been confirmed by the official owners of the publishing houses – both individuals and company officials. However, the legal proceedings, in which the publishing houses “Dienas mediji” and “Dienas biznes” are now involved, open the curtain on how “Diena” was financed.
At the end of March, the Court of Economic Affairs began to consider the claim of SIA “Ostas Parks” against both publishing houses. “Dienas biznes” is involved in the case because, according to the claim, “Dienas Medizi” handed over its basic business line and related property to it in the year. “The Court of Economic Affairs is considering a civil case in an open court session regarding the claim of SIA “Ostas Parks” to recover from “Izdevniecsias Dienas Medizi” and “Dienas Business” approximately 1.5 million, a little more, which consists of the loan and interest,” this is how the judge started the court session Kaspars Vecozols.
Jānis Lācis, a member of the board of “Ostas parka”, who is a good friend of the politician Aivars Lemberg’s son Anrijas, has signed 20 loan agreements for “Diens medijiem” between October 2016 and September 2020. At the first court hearing, however, it was revealed that the repayment period for at least six contracts worth 410,000 euros concluded in 2017 has not yet come, because it was later extended until October 2024 with an agreement signed by Lāčas.
The court has not yet started considering the merits of the case, as the lawyer of “Dienas biznesa” announced that the parties are currently negotiating a possible settlement. However, the main arguments of “Dienas media” are “de facto” known – they are reflected in the explanations to the court signed by the board member and official owner since 2015, Edgars Kot.
“The defendant [SIA “Izdevniecība Dienas mediji”] explains that the agreements between the parties and the Plaintiff [SIA “Ostas parks”] the agreements attached to the claim, known as loan agreements, were not loan agreements, but gifts, behind which the allocation of funding for press publications issued by the Defendant (especially for the newspaper “Diena”) was concealed in this way, with a person related to the grantor of the funding (the true owner and beneficiary ) for the creation of the political and economic content and agenda of the newspaper “Diena” corresponding to the interests (..),” expressed in the explanations of “Dienas media”.
Next, “Dienas Mediji” tells the court: “The Defendant believes that the specific persons in whose interest and benefit the Defendant has been granted financing through the Plaintiff’s company, hiding these transactions behind loan agreements signed by the Plaintiff’s board member Jānis Lācis, are Ainārs Shlesers, Aivars Lembergs and Andris Šēle.”
It should be noted that earlier Kots avoided talking about these persons. For example, in the summer of 2017, in an interview with LTV, which was intended for a special edition of the program “Tiėša runa” about the “Rīdzene” negotiations, when asked how Kots would describe his relationship with Lembergs and Shleser, Kots answered: “Well, what does it mean to describe? I don’t have to justify myself at this point and say how can I describe, because I’m very far removed from these people.”
In the latest available annual report of “Dienas media” – for the year 2021 – it is mentioned that “Ostas Parks” is the company’s largest creditor with more than 2.5 million euros loaned. “The company’s largest creditor has assured the company in writing that it will not demand repayment of debts in a way that could threaten the continuation of the company’s activities,” says the annual report of “Dienas media”.
If Kot’s explanations are to be believed, this means that several hundred thousand euros were actually allocated to the publishing house by the trio known as oligarchs. The explanations also state that the operation of the “Port Park” was ensured and financed from the funds obtained from the commercial activities of the company “Rīgas vaštės osta” (RTO).
Kots refused an interview “de facto”, stating that he would not comment during the legal proceedings. On the other hand, Lācis, a member of the board of “Ostas parka”, did not respond to “de facto” calls and text messages at all.
Five and a half years ago, Shleser was summoned to the Saeima by the parliamentary investigation commission regarding the “Rīdzene” negotiations. At that time, Shlesers avoided answering the question asked by the commission about his participation in the meeting about the financial status of the joint-stock company “Diena”, instead giving a long tirade about the fact that he is not active in politics and does not want to talk about the matters that caused the dismissal of the 10th Saeima.
Now that Shlesser is a member of the Saeima again and it is his duty to speak to the media, the politician claims that he knows nothing about this trial: “Let the people who are invited come, but I have nothing to do with this trial. Thank you! (..) Well, the dates when we bought and invested in this company are known, but I have nothing to do with Mr. Kota. Because there, unfortunately, he will have to explain himself in court. Goodbye!”
On the other hand, Andris Škēle told the parliamentary investigation commission at the end of 2017 that he was connected with “Diena” only as a consultant invited by RTO, because RTO had claim rights against “Diena”, which it wanted to turn into good assets. Now, in a conversation with “de facto”, Šēle expresses confusion about what Kota said: “I don’t know about any loans! But if Cote is not the true owner, then he has broken the law. (..) Yes! Well then it’s true! Then he has broken the law, he has not declared himself as the true beneficiary.”
Šekele repeatedly emphasizes that he does not know anything about the legal proceedings and the witnesses who may be called in it: “Well, let them be called, why are you tormenting me? Well, I don’t know anything about it! I don’t know what “Port Parks” is, what the Bear is, if! I know something, well.” Šēle did not lend to Kot or “Diens media” or finance them in any other way: “I have not given any loans to anyone. (..) Well, you know, you are tormenting something about which I have no knowledge, if. I don’t know about anything.”
On the other hand, Aivars Lembergs once told the parliamentary investigation commission that he would try to buy the newspaper “Diena” “only in severe nightmares”. Now, when “de facto” he was asked to comment in writing on what the board member of “Dienas Medius” told the Kota court, the politician from the Ventspils side first stated that he did not understand what to answer him and asked him to “raise specific questions”. Having received clarifying questions, for example, whether Lācis, a member of the board of “Ostas parka”, also acts in his interests, including as a trusted person in “Ostas parka” and “Riga commercial port”, Lembergs did not provide answers.
In the explanations of “Dienas media” to the court, it is also claimed that a similar scheme as in the case of “Dienas” was also used to finance other media. Namely, transactions of identical content on the part of “Ostas parka” have also been closed with SIA “Mediju nams”, which were also formalized as loan transactions, but whose real purpose was to finance the activities of “Mediju nams” and the newspaper “Neatkarīgā Rīta Avīze” published by it, moreover, in a manner similar to “Ostas Park”, also assuring “Media House” that the allocated funds will not be claimed.
“Dienas mediji” asked the court to demand from “Ostas parka” the loan agreements to “Media House” and the documents related to them, stating that they could be both in the records of “Ostas parka” and with Henri Lemberg. At the court hearing, Mārtiņš Kvēps, the lawyer of “Ostas parka”, objected to this: “Regarding the contracts of “Media House” – again, of course, it is not written there why the contracts are demanded, but it is very easy to guess. If the position is that there was a simulative conclusion of transactions, then obviously they will say – see, it was the same with “Media House”, they did not return the money, so we can not return it either, because the agreement is the same. We are critical of such a possible position, since facts must be proven in a civil case. On the other hand, what with the “Media House” contracts – I don’t know if they have been repaid or not – if it were the case that they have not been repaid, this can, of course, be the basis for a reasonable assumption that there may be similarities here. It is undeniable. But – this is not a fact! Well, it’s just a ‘maybe it could be,’ if.”
From 2016 until last summer, Nauris Kāpostiņš, Anrija Lemberg’s brother-in-law, was a member and owner of the board of “Mediju nama”. He “de facto” did not want to make comments, referring to confidentiality. However, to the question of whether he will speak in court as well, if it satisfies the request of “Dienas media” and invites him as a witness, Kāpostiņš answers: “I am not a lawyer, but as far as I know, there is criminal liability for knowingly giving false testimony in court, and that I absolutely don’t need to… The new circumstances could change my attitude towards confidentiality (if they were to arise as you have described here).”
Among the witnesses reported by “Dienas Media” are both Anrijs Lembergs and the former officials of “Riga Trade Port” Jānis Maršāns, Jānis Sveždhons and Ralfs Kļaviņš, as well as Aivars Lembergs’ son-in-law Jānis Austrīņš and Škēle’s son-in-law Pēter Jurissons. “Diens mediji” believes that all of them can provide essential information about important circumstances in the case, which will prove the complete groundlessness of the claim raised by “Ostas Parka”. The court left the question of calling witnesses open until the next hearing scheduled for May.
Meanwhile, “Dienas” editor-in-chief Gatis Madžiņš, who has also been a board member and shareholder of the “Dienas biznes” publishing house since the turn of the century, published an opinion on Friday in which he hints that the legal proceedings are actually held by the businesswoman, the new owner of “Mediju Nama” Anastasijas Udalova and her partner , the interests of Estonian millionaire Oļegs Osinovskis, accused of bribery in Latvia.
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