Dombrava orders review of whether residence permits for foreigners were obtained lawfully

Latvia's Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava, of the National Alliance party, has instructed state institutions to examine whether several people, including doctor of science Nina Linde, acted lawfully in helping dozens of third-country nationals obtain residence permits in Latvia. The review will be carried out by the Office of Citizenship and Migration Affairs (PMLP) and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FID), each within its own remit. The minister's adviser, Marija Luīze Ratniece, informed the news agency LETA of the assignment.

What the review should establish

The check is meant to determine whether Linde, Gerald Hopstädter and Doris Hopstädter promoted genuine business activity, or whether the routes to residence permits were abused to create only a formal basis for the right to stay in Latvia. Dombrava said it must be clarified whether real investments stand behind the transactions in question, and that any violations should be followed by action as provided by law.

The minister also wants the documents submitted with permit applications, the accuracy of the information in them, and the financial circumstances of the transactions to be assessed. The actual role of each person and company involved must be established as well. Conclusions on the lawfulness of anyone's conduct and on further steps will be drawn after the review.

What is known about those involved

According to the Firmas.lv database, Linde is a co-owner and chair of the management board of SIA "Latvijas Zinātņu akadēmijas Ekonomikas institūts". Its supervisory council includes Indian-born entrepreneur Kanan Vishwanath, who received Latvian citizenship by a Saeima decision on 14 September 2023. The Saeima recently passed, and then hastily repealed, a law that would have granted citizenship in a special procedure to his wife, Divya Vishwanath.

Linde is also chair of the management board of the joint-stock company "Lights". Its supervisory council is chaired by Gerald Hopstädter, with Doris Hopstädter as deputy chair.

Speculation has appeared on social media that shares in "Lights" were sold to at least 11 foreign nationals for about 50,000 euros each. In posts by Ilmārs Poikāns, suspicions are voiced that these investments were fictitious and served only to let foreigners formally qualify for Latvian temporary residence permits.