Ossinovski: Attempts to tie me to my father's businesses are spiteful
Social Democrat Chairman Jevgeni Ossinovski said, in a letter penned to his party members, that attempts to tie him to his father's, Oleg Ossinovski's business ventures, are clearly ill-natured. He said the party currently has no ties to the businessman who is under investigation in Latvia for corruption.
“The media is full of news of the investigation into the head of the Latvian Railways, which has ties to my father. Attempts have been made to cast a shadow over myself and the party,” Ossinovski said.
He said he is not active in business and his father is not involved in politics.
His father is, however, the party's biggest financial backer. Ossinovski said the media has pulled the party into the case due to that fact, but he added that the donations have been honest and have been made public.
“Even so, when I became the head of the party [at the end of May] I made a decision not to accept any more financial help from Oleg Ossinovski, to avoid any speculation,” he said.
Oleg Ossinovski's company Skinest is involved in a corruption case in Latvia, where the company allegedly gave Latvian Railways' CEO 500,000 euros in bribes to win a tender. According to reports, the CEO, Uģis Magonis, drove back from Estonia with the above mentioned sum in cash in his car.
Editor: J.M. Laats