Within the framework of investigation of the so called Ventspils officials’ case, the General Prosecutor’s Office has taken notice also of the long-term highly-paid CEO of the Ventspils Free Port Imants Sarmulis. The Prosecutor’s Office is investigating a potential hidden connection between Sarmulis and several owners of companies working in the Ventspils Free Port, according to the information in hands of the portal Pietiek.com.

Imants Sarmulis

Sarmulis has been CEO of the Ventpils Free Port for a relatively long term and is practically being related to influence of the criminal suspect Ventspils city Mayor, the so called “old oligarch” Aivars Lembergs. His post of the CEO of the Ventspils Free Port has been related to “obedience” to Lembergs and readiness to become a member of the Lembergs’ “team”. Probably, exactly “thanks” to his readiness to cooperate with Lembergs, CEO of the Ventspils Free Port has obtained rights to be among owners of the port’s companies, including also the dry freight Noord Natie Ventspils Terminal (NNVT), which with the State’s support was built in late 1990s.

As sources in the prosecutor’s office told the portal, Sarmulis’ potential connection to true owners of various Ventspils port’s companies is currently being investigated within the framework of the Ventspils officials’ case . It seems that the prosecutor’s office has traced offshores related to Sarmulis and there is a probability that Sarmulis has hidden, for example, shares in NNVT behind an offshore registered in Uruguay, management of which has been entrusted to the lawyer Indulis Ludins.

Sarmulis denies having been involved in any unlawful activities as the CEO of Ventspils Free Port and having been a hidden co-owner of any port’s company, including NNVT. Sarmulis said that he “is not and has never been” co-owner neither of NNVT, nor of any other company working in the Ventspils Free Port.

True, when asked if he has really never been a co-owner of any of Ventspils port’s companies, Sarmulis’ answer was a bit different: “I can not remember facts that I had been a co-owner of any of Ventspils port’s companies”. He also said he wasn’t informed about the investigation of the so called Ventspils officials’ case stating any relation to him.

As already reported, «right hand» of the criminal suspect Ventspils city Mayor Aivars Lembergs, first deputy head of the Ventspils city Council and board member of the Ventspils Free Port Janis Vitolins has followed in his chief’s Lembergs footsteps and is presumably a hidden co-owner of one or several free port’s companies. According to information in hands of the portal, through a forked network of offshore companies Vitolins presumably holds influence in several Ventspils companies, including the dry freight terminal Noord Natie Ventspils Terminal (NNVT) in the Ventspils Free Port.

Ref: 102.110.110.1010