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Sinking Skanste and Lukashenko's friend. How Riga City Council succeeded with large investments
https://www.delfi.lv/193/politics/12007 ... vesticijam
Those responsible for the money drowned in the swamp have not yet been identified, but the football stadium investor is "on pause."
This Riga City Council term laid the foundation for two major investment projects that could significantly impact the face of Riga – the "Riga Waterfront" residential quarter in Andrejsala and the football stadium in Lucavsala. They have a lot in common – a welcoming attitude from the Riga City Council, hopes for city budget investments and potential investor Mohamed Ali Alabbar. Also, the future of both projects could depend on the outcome of the election.
Latvian Football Federation President Vadim Łashenko tells Re:Baltica that it was he who brought al-Abar to the city council: "At one FIFA event, I was told that there was a potential investor here, he had plans to invest in Riga. We sat down, talked. I invited him to Riga, we went to the city council." Ķirsis explains that after this meeting, al-Abar started lobbying for another project – "Riga Waterfront". "He started writing all sorts of letters saying he was ready to invest 2.5 billion euros," says Ķirsis. Al-Abar and Ķirsis met again and the investor asked the mayor for "moral support from the city". In the end, Ķirsis signed a memorandum of cooperation.
Al-Abar himself mentions his "Belgrade Waterfront" in Serbia as a similar project to Riga. "Riga Waterfront" is a joint project of al-Abar and Latvian oligarchs. Al-Abar is pledging money, while the families of Ainārs Šlesers and Andris Šķēle, and "Rietumu banka" shareholder Leonids Esterkins, are participating with land in Andrejsala. Moldovan-born businessman Grinshpun announces himself on Linkedin as the manager of "Riga Waterfront". He has previously appeared as a business partner of a Moldovan businessman involved in Kremlin money laundering.
https://www.occrp.org/en/investigation/platons-money
Muhammad al-Abar is a friend of dictators.
The company he founded builds houses in Minsk, where even after Russia's major invasion of Ukraine, al-Abar continued to visit Vladimir Putin's ally Alexander Lukashenko. Al Abar has publicly praised Belarus as a "truly democratic" country, called Lukashenko a "kind and wonderful person" and said that Minsk is safer than Western Europe. Lukashenko has called al Abar a "friend of Belarus" and "almost a Belarusian citizen".
Last year, Reuters reported that al Abar planned to sell his company's shares in the Minsk project. It is not known whether he actually did so. Al Abar also maintained a friendship with Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov for several years. Kadyrov was a guest at the wedding of al Abar's son, and the businessman has visited both Grozny and Kadyrov's luxurious villa in Dubai.
Ķirsis says he didn't know all this until the memorandum was signed. "I didn't Google it myself. There are 25,000 employees in Riga City Council, if I do the work instead of everyone... I asked the [security] institutions, I also asked ... more openly state institutions. What do I do now?"
Māris Andžāns , director of the Center for Geopolitical Research , points out the risks of money laundering when talking about this cooperation. "The starting point is - does money stink," he says.
When the media began to focus on al-Abar's reputation after the signing of the memorandum of cooperation, the investor paused the football stadium project, says Lyashenko. "He said - I want to wait for the elections, how it all ends. And then we'll see. I guess he's waiting to see who comes to power," the LFF leader concludes. "Maybe someone is promising him something. I can't know what kind of agreements there are with whom."
Who promises what in Lucavsala?
Although the LFF recently requested state funding for the stadium, it is no longer being raised. Lyashenko says he understands that there is no money in the budget. If al-Abar says no, they will look for other investors. There are no specifics yet.
The LFF promises to complete the overall concept of the stadium and Lucavsala within a year. The expenses will be covered by UEFA. The LFF does not disclose the costs. The procurement was won by a general partnership, where the co-owner of "Balticovo" Mhitars Mhitarsyan, the former chief architect of Riga Gvido Princis, and lobbyist Filips Rajevskis are among the managers of various companies.
The part of Lucavsala where the stadium is planned was transferred by the Riga City Council to the federation for use free of charge – but only for the duration of the stadium planning. What will happen next is unclear. There is also the idea that the municipality will transfer the land needed for construction to the state.
Meanwhile, a working group dedicated to the construction of the stadium is working under the Prime Minister's auspices. Several scenarios are being discussed there and state support or borrowing is not ruled out. "Nothing is set in stone as to which way we are going," says the head of the working group, Edgars Pukinsks. Also the location.
Lyashenko does not hide that he expects investments from the Riga municipality. He does not specify which ones. Also while waiting for the election results.
Ķirsis believes that taxpayers' funds will have to be invested, citing the connection of Lucavsala with the Southern Bridge as the main investment. JV Riga councilor Olafs Pulks , who is the vice-president of the Latvian Football Federation, is also in favor of building a stadium. Meanwhile, Šlesers says that a stadium in Lucavsala is not necessary at all.
