lite om en gīŋŊng sīŋŊ STOR tidning, DIENA.... FīŋŊr kīŋŊnnedom  Wilma T.

 WiDate: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 15:22:37 +0100
Subject: Fw: "Diena" ipasnieks

        Gesendet: Donnerstag, 02. Februar 2012 um 14:51 Uhr

        Von: "AlīŋŊde Forstmanis" <ali...@rogers.com>

        An: Undisclosed-recipients:;

        Betreff: "Diena" ipasnieks

        "Latvian
 businessman Viesturs Koziols, who already owns a 51 percent stake in
the joint-stock media company "Diena", has acquired 47.86 percent shares
 in the newspaper previously owned by the Rowland family, according to
an announcement made by ''Diena'' today.

  Thus, Koziols now controls 98.86 percent of ''Diena'' shares.

  On the other hand, the magazine ''Ir'' reported today that Koziols
could lose his shares in ''Diena''. Koziols previously took out a EUR
2.7 million loan from "Rigas tirdzniecibas osta" (Riga Commercial Port,
RTO) to purchase the newspaper's shares.

  RTO's board chairman
Ralfs Klavins confirmed that the loan has not been repaid according to
the loan agreement, thus RTO has the right to take over the shares in
the newspaper.

  ''We are trying to find a solution to this
situation. At the moment, RTO has not taken over any shares in
''Diena''. However, we do not deny that this could happen in the
future,'' Klavins told ''Ir''.

  As reported, the actual owners
of the newspaper "Diena", at least the moment Viesturs Koziols became
the formal owner of the newspaper's controlling interest in the summer
of 2010, were Latvia's so-called oligarchs Ainars Slesers, Andris Skele
and Aivars Lembergs, the portal "pietiek.com" reports, based on the
Corruption Prevention Bureau's findings during investigation into the
so-called "oligarch case".

  "Diena" was acquired via RTO,
which, as the investigators believe, actually belongs, via a number of
in-between companies, to Slesers, Skele and Lembergs. The acquisition of
 "Diena" was looked into as part of the investigation into property -
including RTO - that actually belongs to the three oligarchs.

Corruption Prevention Bureau officers were tapping Slesers' phone and
bugging his meetings with other people at the "Ridzene" hotel for a
lengthy period. As a result, information was obtained that "Diena"
actually belongs to the three said politicians, whereas the official
owners were mere "managers" for the three, via which "Diena", as well as
 other enterprises, were run.

  The evidence obtained during the
 investigation shows that Slesers owns a 36 percent stake in "Diena",
Skele has 24 percent and Lembergs 20 percent, whereas RTO board chairman
 and co-owner Ralfs Klavins owns the other 20 percent in the newspaper,
"pietiek.com" writes.

  Klavins was convinced to finance the
"Diena" acquisition deal by Slesers, who argued that RTO and "Dienas
mediji", a mass medium that had an influence on the political process,
should be viewed as a whole, because many decisions regarding RTO would
depend on who is appointed premier and transport minister, and who would
 work in other ministries that participate in the selection of RTO board
 members.

  The future of "Diena" was discussed at several
meetings of the three oligarchs and their representatives, which took
place at Skele's office on Dzirnavu Street, according to the findings.
All decisions regarding the newspaper's management were coordinated with
 Slesers, Lembergs and Skele. In meetings with Slesers, Koziols said he
would make sure that the newspaper works in the interest of the three,
and that they would not be criticized by it.

  Initially when
the acquisition of "Diena" was discussed, Skele, Slesers and Lembergs
also talked about merging "Diena" with the newspaper "Neatkariga", but
Lembergs opposed the idea.

  The investigators have also
established that Slesers, via other companies, owns shares in RTO,
"Jaunrigas attistibas uznemums", "Baltijas aviacijas sistemas",
"Zakusalas Estates" and "Abi krasti". These shares are managed by
several companies registered abroad, which are officially represented by
 Koziols, Tormud Stene Johanson and Bertolt Flick.

  Koziols denies any connections with Slesers, and Slesers also denies that he is the actual owner of any of the said companies.

  LETA also reported, the "Diena" concern includes the media companies
"Dienas mediji", "Regionala Prese Diena" and "Dienas zurnali", as well
as the firms "Abonesanas centrs Diena", "Dienas gramata", "Biznesa
atbalsta grupa Pre Prio", "Poligrafijas grupa Mukusala" and "Mukusalas
maja". Altogether 750 people are employed by the concern, including 286
at Dienas Mediji", "Regionala Prese Diena" and "Dienas zurnali"."
Mrs. Alide Forstmanis629 Mill Park DriveKitchener ON  N2P 1V4R. 519.748.4099M. 519.574.1022