Latvia may open a criminal case against the organizer of tours to Crimea
The Security Police (SP) of Latvia requested that the prosecutor's office of Riga initiate criminal proceedings against a tour operator that organizes trips to the Crimea, Delfi.lv reported.
According to the SP, the criminal proceedings were initiated as a result of the violation of the EU ban on providing services directly related to tourism in the Crimea and Sevastopol. The SP believes that enough evidence was gathered to start criminal proceedings against one individual for an intentional violation of regulations governing the application of sanctions in Latvia, which were set by EU legislation and other international organizations.
On June 17th of last year, police raided a company that provides services related to tourism in the Crimea and Sevastopol. The court authorized the search warrant for the two business sites of the company.
Eleonora Ivanova, a representative of said travel agency, previously stated that four tours to the Crimea had been sold in May and June. The company was not informed that organizing trips to the annexed peninsula is prohibited.
Earlier, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia urged Latvians to avoid travelling to the Crimea.