The building of the Riga Free Port on the bank of the Riga city canal was purchased by four wealthy, well-known entrepreneurs in Latvia, reported the TV channel TV3.
As reported by bb.lv, after the collapse of transit, the Riga port is frantically searching for money. This includes selling real estate purchased and built during the "fat" years.
About a year ago, the former administrative building of the Riga Free Port Authority was sold at auction for 4.484 million euros to a little-known real estate management company "Inolink," whose financial indicators previously did not suggest transactions of this scale. In the middle of last year, the company changed its name to SIA "Vēstniecību rezidences." Its sole owner is Alexander Pashinsky.
TV3 has obtained information that the purchase of the building was financed by well-known entrepreneurs in Latvia:
– motorsport athlete working in the field of petroleum product transportation and aviation services, Raimonds Kisels,
– Ventspils entrepreneur, manager, and owner of several transit companies Ivars Sormulis,
– one of the largest players in the construction industry Armands Garkans,
– as well as Guntars Kokorevich, working in the field of waste management and environmental services.
Kokorevich stated that Pashinsky contacted him and offered to invest in the purchase of the building. He invested one million euros.
"I lent a certain amount to the developer, who is thinking about what to do there," said the entrepreneur. In his opinion, this is a good investment regardless of what will be created there. Kokorevich has not yet specified how the building may be used in the future but does not rule out that someone may live there. According to him, all four investors invested similar amounts—about one million euros each.
Sormulis also gave an evasive answer regarding the future purpose of the exclusive building. Both interviewed entrepreneurs assured that much will remain publicly accessible and everything will be done in accordance with current regulations.
However, according to TV3, there were concerns that the building could become an elite residential building with a private yacht dock and a closed part of the canal promenade. However, the management denies this.
A member of the board of the owning company SIA "Vēstniecību rezidences," Arnis Ronis, informed the program that the building will definitely have office spaces. Negotiations are also underway with embassies about placing ambassadors' residences in this building. Ronis did not specify which embassies are being negotiated with.
