Riga central market boss suspended

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Anatolijs Abramovs, the board chairman of Rigas Centraltirgus (Riga Central Market, RCT), has been suspended from his position, Riga City Mayor Nils Usakovs told the BNS newswire Friday evening.

As well as being the Latvian capital's favorite destination for groceries, the vast Zeppelin hangars and brick warehouses in which it is housed are among Riga's most famous tourist destinations.

Usakovs said that the Riga City Council is not yet searching for a new board chairman for RCT. "The current board consisting of two members is able to continue work," he said.

Latvian commercial TV3 channel on Thursday reported that the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has sent a letter to Riga City Council, asking for Abramovs suspension.

In summer KNAB conducted searches at several locations of the market, including the office of Abramovs. Media reported later that there had been suspicions of illegal trade in retail spaces at Night Market, a marketplace adjacent to the central market and operating from late evening until dawn.

It's not the first time a RCT boss has attracted the attention of KNAB, with the anti-graft force swooping in 2008 to arrest Abromovs' predecessor, Naina Cibulska, on bribery and money laundering charges.

RTC in 2014 generated 7.101 million euros in sales, up 1.4 percent from 2013, while the company's profit rose 40.4 percent to 219,800 euros.

Riga Central Market, established in 1930, has been operating as a municipal joint-stock company since 1995. The company comprises the central market, as well as marketplaces in Riga's Agenskalns and Vidzeme districts. The company's sole owner is Riga City Council.

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