Roslikov, who fled to Belarus, tries to sell property in Riga

Aleksejs Roslikov, leader of the Latvian party "Stabilitātei!" ("For Stability!"), has begun selling his property in Latvia, according to the TV3 programme "Nekā personīga". He is charged in Latvia with incitement of national and ethnic hatred and has fled to Belarus. The sale suggests he does not plan to return to the country soon.

A property registered in Roslikov's name in Riga is listed on an advertisement portal. It is a section of a two-storey terraced house of nearly 200 square metres, with a fireplace, built-in kitchen appliances, heated floors, two terraces and a small plot of land. The home is being sold fully furnished for 280,000 euros. Neighbours told the programme that nobody has lived in this section of the house for quite some time.

According to Land Register data, Roslikov bought the property three years ago for 107,000 euros. Three months later, his party colleague Svetlana Čulkova reportedly bought a similar property next door for a considerably higher sum.

The party's explanation

Čulkova, chair of the party's board, confirmed to the news agency LETA that Roslikov currently has no plans to return to Latvia from Belarus. She added, however, that he will not stop his political activity. "He will continue to be active in politics, to express his views and to defend the people and the issues to which he has so far devoted his work," Čulkova said.

Before the parliamentary elections held on 3 November, Čulkova categorically asserted that Roslikov would return to Latvia the next day to "continue political work immediately together with the party team". Asked whether he would return even if the party failed to enter the 15th Saeima, she gave no specific answer. She said the party does not even consider the possibility that it could fail to win the support of 5% of voters.