Aivars Lembergs

Vineta Cukste, lawyer of the accused Latvian politician Aivars Lembergs, announced on Thursday, July 12, that the British court will not accept the claim against him and lift the asset freeze. In fact, it is not so. It turns out she has either drawn hasty conclusions or simply lies, reports the portal Pietiek.

Lawyers directly related to the ongoing proceedings stress that Lembergs’ joy over his representatives’ statement is exaggerated.

In fact, the court ruling concerns only one part of the action brought against him. Besides, the court is still waiting until July 24 to decide whether the ruling shall take effect. Most likely, it will not and Lembergs’ joy will come to an end. Besides, the $135 million claim, which saw an international asset freeze imposed on Lembergs’property, has been filed by two plaintiffs.

One of them is a/s Latvian Shipping Company’s (LASCO) subsidiary Antonio Gramsci Shipping Corporation and other LASCO-related companies. The other plaintiff is a group of five offshore companies (Recoletos Limited, Romanica Overseas Limited, Skeena Overseas Limited, Luzero Limited, Chandler Limited). They had once cooperated with LASCO via ship charter contracts, allegedly used by Lembergs to defraud the company out of money.

The court ruling that Lembergs’ representatives are so proud of applies only to the claim by LASCO’s subsidiary. It has nothing to do with the other plaintiff’s claim to seize Lembergs’ assets and recover up to $135 million.

These five offshore firms sued Lembergs in 2011, as they believe that he stands behind money scams used to defraud LASCO and its subsidiaries out of huge money.

The British court will hold a direction hearing on July 24, when it plans to decide whether or not to lift the asset freeze demanded by the LASCO’s subsidiary. But even if the court rules in favour of Lembergs, which is unlikely, it will not free Lembergs from the asset freeze and affect the other claim in any way.

“Nothing has really changed. Lembergs’ property will remain arrested and the claim will be maintained until the British court hears the case,” Pietiek cites a lawyer directly related to the proceedings in London.

As reported, another LASCO subsidiary, Latmar Holdings Corporation (Latmar), has filed a new claim against Lembergs and a number of his associates. The company believes that it was defrauded out of millions via false consultancy contracts. Sources close to the case tell Pietiek that it is exactly Latmar’s claim that can give Lembergs the decisive blow.

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