Foto: BB.LV / Гражданка Индии Вишванату
As reported by **bb.lv**, a loud scandal erupted at the end of the 14th Saeima's term - the parliament urgently granted citizenship for special merits to Indian citizen Ms. Vishwanath without verifying the accuracy of the provided information. When the real situation regarding the education and scientific achievements of the so-called scholar was revealed, a loud scandal broke out, and President Rinkēvičs even sent a letter to the Speaker of the Saeima urging them to investigate and, as they say, correct the mistake. The mistake was promptly rectified - just a week later, the Saeima revoked its own decision to grant citizenship for special merits. However, the investigation into the circumstances preceding this "operation" to grant citizenship is just beginning. There are suspicions that three entrepreneurs assisted not only in obtaining citizenship for special merits but also in providing residence permits. In this regard, Minister of the Interior Jānis Dombrova decided to involve competent authorities in the investigation. Minister of the Interior Jānis Dombrova instructed the Citizenship and Migration Affairs Office (UDGM) and the Financial Intelligence Service (FID), in accordance with the competence of each institution, to verify publicly voiced information regarding the possible involvement of Gerald Hoppstaedter, Doris Hoppstaedter, and Nina Linde in obtaining residence permits for several dozen subjects of third countries. The investigation must determine whether the mentioned individuals acted lawfully by facilitating genuine entrepreneurial activities or whether the opportunities for obtaining residence permits were misused, creating a formal basis for the right to reside in the Republic of Latvia. "I have instructed both the UDGM and the Financial Intelligence Service to verify this information. It is necessary to determine whether there are real investments and entrepreneurial activities behind the respective transactions or whether their true aim was to create a formal basis for acquiring the right to reside in Latvia. If violations are identified, the prescribed legal actions should be followed," emphasizes Minister of the Interior Jānis Dombrova. The documents submitted for the request of residence permits, the accuracy of the information contained therein, and the financial circumstances related to the respective transactions are being evaluated. Additionally, it is necessary to clarify the actual role of each involved person and enterprise and their connection to the indicated actions. The instruction has been given to verify the information. Conclusions regarding the legality of the actions of the individuals and further measures will be made after the verification," states the press release from the advisor to the Minister of the Interior.
