WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2019) The United States has lifted sanctions on the Ventspils Freeport Authority after Latvia's government terminated Aivars Lembergs' ownership of the transit company, the Treasury Department said in a press release on Wednesday.
"Today, the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) removed sanctions imposed on the Ventspils Freeport Authority, which was designated on December 9 for being owned or controlled by Latvian oligarch Aivars Lembergs (Lembergs)," the release said.
The Latvian government recently passed legislation to end Lembergs' control of Ventspils Freeport Authority and transferred oversight of the company to four government-appointed representatives, the release said.
Lembergs, who is the mayor of Ventspils, had served as the chairman of the board for Ventspils Freeport Authority but resigned on December 10.
The United States also designated Latvia-based companies Ventspils Attistibas Agentura, Biznesa Attistibas Asociacija and Latvijas Tranzita Biznesa Asociacija for being owned or controlled by Lembergs.
Lembergs and the four Latvia-based entities were among 17 individuals and 29 companies from across Europe, Asia and Latin America that the Treasury Department announced it had sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act.
