Plan to revoke Petr Aven's Latvian citizenship is ready

In the first days of the Russian-led war in Ukraine, Justice Minister Jānis Bordāns revealed that the ministry is looking for a solution to strip Latvian citizenship from Petr Aven, who is a co-owner of the US-sanctioned Alfa-Bank and is considered to be close to the Russian president. This solution has now been found and the law is likely to be adopted by the Saeima this Thursday.

"In the near future we will have our conclusion on the possible way to restrict the entry of persons directly close to the Kremlin into Latvia and how to deal with the citizenship issue," Bordāns said on February 28. The Minister expressed his conviction that Aven should be stripped of his citizenship, but that this should be done in a legal manner.

After consulting the Ministry of the Interior for just over a month, a legal way has been found. Today, the Saeima Defense, Internal Affairs and Prevention of Corruption Committee will start working on amendments to the Citizenship Law drafted by the Ministry of Justice, which will allow stripping Aven of his Latvian citizenship. Moreover, the head of the committee, Juris Rancāns, representing the Conservatives (Konservatīvie) party, believes that the law could be approved by the Saeima in both readings this Thursday as a matter of urgency without additional proposals.

The Ministry of Justice explains that the grounds for deprivation of Latvian citizenship currently provided for in the Citizenship Law are related to offences committed by a Latvian citizen against the state that thus undermine the principle of mutual loyalty between Latvia and that citizen, but the law does not provide for grounds for deprivation of Latvian citizenship that would be related to violations of universally recognized international law against another democratic state, which would also pose an indirect threat to the democratic order and constitutional values of Latvia.

The new amendments extend the scope of the law to persons who have provided "substantial financial, material, propaganda, technological or other support to persons, states or other entities that have committed acts, including crimes against peace, genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of democratic states, or the constitutional order, or the person himself has participated in such acts". The draft law provides that a person may be found guilty of committing such acts by state security authorities.

It should be noted that under international law, a person can only be deprived of his or her nationality if he or she also holds the nationality of another state. For example, Aven is a citizen of both Latvia and Russia.

The Ministry of Justice stresses that such a regulation is necessary to ensure that Latvian citizenship is not retained for persons who have committed and supported actions that, inter alia, are incompatible with the values of Latvia as a democratic state governed by the rule of law and are prohibited and condemned by internationally binding treaties.

"A Latvian citizen, by exercising his or her rights as a citizen contrary to the interests of Latvia, may cause significant damage to the national security and constitutional order of Latvia, for example, by forming political parties and standing for election, or by being subject to mobilization, engaging in national defense," the Ministry of Justice explains.

The draft law developed by the Ministry of Justice was also examined by the Adviser to the President on Legal Policy, Jānis Pleps, who considered it to be good enough. "A thorough analysis has been carried out and compatibility with our international obligations has been ensured. It has been well done," the expert said.

Aven was able to obtain Latvian citizenship because his ancestors lived in Latvia until 1941. While living in Russia, he became a successful businessman and a person close to Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin's master. The latter was announced by the Russian oppositionist Mikhail Khodorkovsky when he presented a study prepared by his NGO in the European Parliament last spring. Aven is said to be among the businessmen closest to Putin and could therefore be used to carry out Putin's tasks.

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