Izaak Morein’s Disappearance   Entrepreneur and member of the Latvijas Tirdzniecības banka board Izaak Morein vanished on August 3, 1998. Initially, the police believed it was a kidnapping, as Morein was entangled in complex “debt relationships” with several influential figures and their organizations at the time, including the former president of Olimpija bank, Lev Kremer, regarding the division of AO Baltijas Starts (see below for details on this financial holding’s structures). Four individuals were arrested in connection with the kidnapping:

• Dmitry Ageyev,
• Andrey Verkhovsky,
• Valentin Gogel,
• Lev Kremer as the organizer — former president of Olimpija bank.

However, after initial interrogations, the police concluded that the kidnapping theory was not convincing. The suspects were soon released, and the allegations were dropped. The alleged kidnapper Valentin Gogel told investigators the following story: yes, he had called Morein’s partner several times to arrange a ransom, but he did so at Morein’s own request. They were acquaintances, and for $3,000, Gogel agreed to provide this “service.” On the day of the kidnapping — August 3 — Gogel personally drove Morein to Ķemeri. They parked the car — a white jeep — in a parking lot. Then Morein paid $3,000, and they parted ways. No one has seen Morein since. The police also investigated the possibility of murder: did Gogel and Morein really part peacefully? However, no evidence of a fatal outcome was found. The version of a peaceful division of Baltijas Starts assets, meaning no serious conflict with Kremer, was confirmed by the president of Latvijas Tirdzniecības banka, Ivar Priedītis. Shortly after Morein’s disappearance, he gave an interview in which he stated:
— In 1995, AO Baltijas Starts (BS) was on the brink of bankruptcy. We suffered significant losses due to the banking crisis and the fall in certificate prices. Something had to be done. New investments were urgently needed. However, several founders either didn’t want to or couldn’t contribute funds. So, at a shareholders’ meeting, the decision was made to liquidate. It should be noted that, at the time, it wasn’t just BS that needed saving. According to Priedītis, Latvijas Tirdzniecības banka was also facing problems. One of the rescue measures was the sale of the bank’s shares owned by BS. Thus, on August 21, 1995, a BS shareholders’ meeting took place, where it was decided to self-liquidate. Priedītis sees no grounds for dispute in this. Several shareholders — including E. Līvšics and I. Morein — sold their shares to the board for a symbolic 1 lat. Regarding Kremer’s claims that the liquidation occurred without his involvement, Priedītis believes they are unfounded. However, he noted that this is a matter for the courts.
— I admit there may have been minor procedural violations. It’s hard for me to judge now. But we liquidated as best we could… — Priedītis concluded. Meanwhile, the former Olimpija bank president Kremer claimed he was defrauded of $2.5 million. Lawyer Ainārs Platacis explained the case as follows:
— There are two key documents in this case. The protocol of the BS shareholders’ “liquidation meeting” from September 20, 1995, which lists the company’s own capital as 500,000 LVL. And a certificate from the Enterprise Register dated November 5, 1996, stating the capital was only 5,100 lats. What does this mean? There was no real capital increase. It was all just a stroke of the pen that allowed my client to be deceived. Before the capital increase (on paper), SIA Integrāls owned 24.51% of the shares, but afterward, only 0.3%. Notably, when this issue was decided, Lev Kremer, who represented SIA Integrāls, was not invited to the meeting (his signature is absent from the protocol). As a result, our client effectively lost his stake in Latvijas Tirdzniecības banka, insurance companies, and more. He estimated the total loss at $2.5 million. Platacis’s summary in 1998:
— In such a situation, it was advantageous to “set up” Kremer, and that’s what was done. Regarding Morein’s case, the lawyer declined to comment but expressed doubts about the kidnapping: “In such situations, businessmen often go to relax in sunny places — like some Pacific islands.” Outcome: The dispute over Baltijas Starts liquidation was resolved in Kremer’s favor in August 1999. On April 30, 2000, Kremer was shot dead in Jūrmala — just before the Baltijas Starts case was due for review. Lawyer Platacis vanished without a trace in late May 2010. Izaak Morein was never found. However, reports emerged that a person with his surname crossed the U.S. border twice after his disappearance — this was unofficially mentioned by Latvian media, citing immigration service data, but there was no official confirmation. Murder of Former Olimpija President Kremer This occurred on the eve of a court case against Baltijas Starts management. On April 30, 2000, a Sunday, at 14:15, the businessman was driving along Rīgas Street in Jūrmala. His four-year-old daughter was in the car with him. About 150 meters before the Dzintaru viaduct, Kremer’s “Mercedes” jeep stopped or slowed down (likely for a planned meeting). An unknown man ran out from the forest beside the road, clearly waiting for the businessman. Approaching the car, he fired four shots through the windshield — according to police, from a 9 mm pistol. Three bullets hit Kremer, and the killer delivered a control shot to the head. He then fled back into the forest. The child sitting next to her father was spared — the girl remained unharmed. This murder remains unsolved. About Baltijas Starts: AO Baltijas Starts was established in 1992, with I. Priedītis as chairman of the board. By August 30, 1995 — the start of liquidation — it controlled 32.6% of Latvijas Tirdzniecības banka shares. According to Enterprise Register data, in 1995, BS held stakes in the following companies: insurance AO Alterna, AO Alterna-Viva, Latvijas Investīciju fonds. To be continued…
Marina Mikhailova, kriminal.lv