The Latvian Shipping Company regrets to announce that Vents Kodols, the company’s representative in investigating criminal cases related to large-scale fraud, has died under mysterious circumstances.  Mr Kodols’ job involved the representation of the Latvian Shipping Company in a case related to fraud which led to the loss of several tens of millions of US dollars from the company between 2003 and 2005.  He led the legal representation of the company in an attempt to collect a reimbursement of those losses in the United Kingdom.  The Latvian Shipping Company would like to express its deepest condolences to Mr Kodols’ family and friends.

“We are simply shocked about this, and we hope that law enforcement institutions will conduct an objective, thorough and truly interested investigation into what happened.  This is a time when we have taken effective steps toward solving the crime which related to this massive fraud, and we are looking at several former officials from the company.  We’re close to the end of that investigation, and we call on the relevant institutions to focus stronger attention on all of the direct and indirect circumstances which might help in the objective investigation of the case,” says Latvian Shipping Company council chairman Māris Gailis.

Because of the seriousness of the case which Mr Kodols was overseeing and the huge sums of money that were stolen from the Latvian Shipping Company, the company has prepared a letter to the National Police stating that those who have been blamed for the fraud might have tried to affect Mr Kodols’ work and might have been interested in his death.  The Latvian Shipping Company is calling for an independent, thorough and unhindered investigation of the circumstances of his death.

According to information that is at the disposal of the Latvian Shipping Company, there are several former senior officials of the company, including board and council members, who are currently suspects in the fraud which led to the aforementioned loss of tens of millions of dollars from the company.

For more details:

Marita Ozoliņa-Tumanovska

Manager of PR & Advertising Department

Telephone +371-67020120, 29287169

marita.ozolina@lscgroup.lv