Bank lifts sanctions on Belarusian spa in Lithuania s Druskininkai lrt.lt - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from lrt.lt Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Swedbank doubles down on sanctions against Belarusian spa in Lithuania
BNS2021.05.26 09:52
Belorus spa in Druskininkai. / BNS
Swedbank says it has carried out an assessment of a Belarusian-owned spa in Druskininkai, southern Lithuania, finding that the business is controlled by Viktor Sheiman who reports directly to Alexander Lukashenko.
The bank has therefore denied the Belorus spa s request for temporary access to its accounts, which Swedbank froze in December last year due to sanctions against the Belarusian regime.
According to the Lithuanian Centre of Registers, the spa in Druskininkai is owned by the Main Economic Office (GHU) at the Belarusian president s administration. In late 2020, the EU imposed sanctions against the Main Economic Office (GHU), while Sheiman was included into the EU s sanctions list more than a decade ago.
FM vows to launch takeover talks as Belarusian spa s workers protest in Vilnius
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Lithuania s Foreign Affairs Ministry has vowed to launch negotiations with Belarus on the takeover of Belorus, a Belarus-owned sanatorium situated in Lithuania s southern town of Druskininkai, as its workers staged a protest in Vilnius on Thursday. Two committees in the Lithuanian Seimas made a decision on a possibility to turn to the Belarusian government with a proposal to buy this sanatorium out, and, of course, the Foreign Ministry will implement this proposal, recommendation of the Seimas committees, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told journalists on Thursday.
Lithuania mulls taking over sanctioned Belarusian spa as workers stage protest
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Lithuania mulls taking over sanctioned Belarusian spa as workers stage protest / D. Umbrasas/LRT
Lithuania s Foreign Ministry plans to launch negotiations with Minsk on the possible takeover of Belorus, a sanctioned Belarusian spa in the Lithuanian town of Druskininkai. Two committees in the Lithuanian Seimas made a decision [.] to turn to the Belarusian government with a proposal to buy this sanatorium out, Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis told reporters on Thursday, adding that the ministry will implement this proposal .
Belorus accounts were frozen by Swedbank in December last year shortly after the EU imposed sanctions against the Main Economic Office (GHU) of the Belarusian president s administration, as it is led by Viktor Sheiman who is on the EU sanction list. Minsk acquired the spa under the Lithuanian–Belarusian intergovernmental agreement of February 6, 1995.
Belarusian spa in Lithuania goes to court over asset freezes
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Belorus spa in Druskininkai / D. Umbrasas/LRT
Belorus, a spa in southern Lithuania owned by the Belarusian president s office, has filed a lawsuit over asset freezes it was subjected to under the sanctions on the Minsk government.
In December, Lithuania s Swedbank froze the accounts of the Druskininkai-based spa, leaving its mostly Lithuanian workforce without pay. The bank said it was required to do so under the EU s sanctions.
The court told BNS on Friday it had not yet received the spa s request.
According to the Lithuanian Centre of Registers, Belorus is owned by the Management Department of the Belarusian president s administration. The department, headed by Viktor Sheyman, reports directly to Alexander Lukashenko.