The court has handed down suspended prison sentences and fines to former employees of the retailer Maxima Latvija for demanding and accepting bribes from a food producer and money laundering.
The judgment has entered into force. LETA news agency found out that Janis Senfelds, Aleksandrs Ivanovs and Jevgenijs Zernovs were found guilty in the case.
The Riga District Court’s verdict shows that Senfelds initially acted alone, but later a group of persons demanded money from an employee of Ikskiles Delikateses Food, agreeing in advance on the distribution of roles.
On August 1, 2014, a contract was concluded between Maxima Latvia and the meat processing company Ikskiles Delikateses Food on the supply of products to Maxima Latvija outlets.
Senfelds negotiated with the suppliers and concluded contracts for the purchase of goods, determined the quantity of goods to be purchased and was responsible for the coordination of the contracts concluded between Maxima Latvija and the suppliers. He unlawfully demanded from a representative of the company a benefit of a pecuniary nature which was not provided for in the contract.
He demanded cash payments of 4 percent of the turnover of the goods supplied and threatened that if the money is not paid, the goods would no longer be ordered to Maxima Latvija stores and the existing contract would be terminated.
Senfelds later left the company, but together with Ivanovs continued to receive the demanded money.
Ivanovs was also convicted of money laundering in the amount of EUR 24,587. In order to conceal the nature and true origin of the funds, he converted them into other assets by investing them in the construction of a garden house and a bathhouse, paying the workers in cash for the work and materials used for the construction.
The court sentenced Ivanovs to a fine of EUR 7,500 and a suspended prison sentence of three years and six months, Senfelds to a fine of EUR 6,000 and Zenovs to a fine of EUR 3,500.
On January 16, the Riga Regional Court upheld the Riga District Court’s judgment, but on July 19, the Supreme Court refused to initiate cassation proceedings, so the first instance judgment has entered into force.
Liene Dupate-Ugule, Head of Communications at Maxima Latvija, told LETA that honest and transparent business is a core value of Maxima Latvija and the company has zero tolerance towards dishonest behavior.
The company has developed both a partner cooperation policy and an anti-corruption policy with the aim of ensuring honest and mutually beneficial business practices with partners, suppliers and other stakeholders.
More than six years ago, Maxima Latvija suspected that an employee had acted in bad faith and immediately informed the State Police, which launched an investigation. Throughout the process, the company cooperated closely with law enforcement authorities in the investigation, Dupate-Ugule said.
Last year Maxima Latvija posted a turnover of EUR 1.073 billion, which is 10.1 percent more than the previous year, while the company’s profit increased by 84.9 percent to EUR 56.529 million.
Maxima Latvija was registered in November 2000 with a share capital of EUR 4.91 million. Maxima Latvija is owned by Lithuanian companies Maxima Grupe and Maxima LT. The group is a part of the Lithuanian business group Vilniaus Prekyba, controlled by Nerijus Numa.
The company Ikskiles Delikateses Food has been liquidated, according to Firmas.lv.
Source: BNS
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