Latvia's State Revenue Service investigates LZA officials

The Latvian State Revenue Service (VID) has launched an investigation into the asset declarations of Ivars Kalviņš, President of the Latvian Academy of Sciences (LZA), and Baiba Rivža, the academy's General Secretary.

The probe reportedly stems from allegations that Kalviņš and Rivža failed to disclose roles on the advisory board of Zoar Limited, a pharmaceutical company registered in the Cayman Islands. The company was founded and is directed by Kanan Vishvanat, a Latvian citizen since 2023.

The investigation follows recent political developments regarding the citizenship of Divya Vishvanata, an Indian citizen. While the LZA Presidium maintains that Kalviņš acted within his authority when recommending her citizenship, the Saeima recently passed legislation to nullify the previous law that granted her citizenship. Kanan Vishvanat is the husband of Divya Vishvanata and owns the micro-enterprise Dr. Vishys, which has reportedly operated with significant losses.