Smuggler Artur Granz and his Russian capital: how a businessman with “dirty” money is taking over Latvia

Smuggler Artur Granz and his Russian capital: how a businessman with “dirty” money is taking over Latvia

Artur Granz, who is primarily known for his business in Ukraine, has recently been making headlines in Latvia, where he has been acquiring real estate on a large scale.

His common-law wife or mistress, Svitlana Loboda, also moved there. Having attempted to build a career and life in Russia, she suddenly became disillusioned with the "Russian world" and moved to Latvia. And "almost bought a house in Latvia, but ran into legal problems." Additionally, she complained that "earnings in Russia have significantly decreased" and began to say that she and her beloved man are "truly great patriots of Ukraine."

Svitlana Loboda is not mentioned in the context of Artur Granz by accident - she is his long-time lover, and the couple has a child together. Many social commentators are surprised by the fact that Loboda lives in Latvia while Granz resides in Spain. However, as it turns out, Artur Granz has decided to exchange the warm Mediterranean climate for the cold shores of the Baltic Sea. He has actively started purchasing real estate in Latvia.

What is going on with Svitlana Loboda’s house purchase is unknown, but Artur Granz has taken a long-term lease of the historic Vidzemes Market located in the center of Riga. He did this through the company GD&L Services, which he owns via the UAE-registered company Advanced Technologies Solutions. Additionally, GD&L Services owns the area adjacent to the Vidzemes Market, where the nightclubs Studio 69 and La Rocca were previously located, and now the Royal Spa & Resort hotel, a sports club, and a car park operate there.

 

According to the terms of the lease for the Vidzemes Market, GD&L Services is supposed to invest 15 million euros in it. This means that Artur Granz is firmly decided to relocate to Latvia. Against this backdrop, the position of the country’s authorities concerning the origin of his capitals is surprising. In Ukraine, which Granz "dearly loves," he is known as the "king of duty-free," through which he conducted major smuggling schemes for moving illegal tobacco products into the EU.

Artur Granz is also a co-owner of the online casino VBet, which is connected to Russia. The casino is accused of money transfers to the Russian Federation - the State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine has opened a criminal case against the company on suspicion of money laundering and company ties with Russian capital.

However, the casino did not lose its license and was not sanctioned. Not least due to Davyd Arakhamiya, the head of the "Servant of the People" faction in parliament. The names of Arakhamiya and Granz surfaced in a murky scheme regarding the printing of holographic tape for excise stamps, for which Artur Granz’ company was supposed to receive the production order.

There is another connection between Artur Granz and Davyd Arakhamiya - through Boris Baum, a friend of the head of the presidential faction in the Ukrainian parliament and the author of the law on the legalization of gambling business in Ukraine. Arakhamiya was a lobbyist for the law, and Baum wrote it. Boris Baum is closely linked to the "Luzhniki" organized crime group, and the legalization of gambling in Ukraine was promoted by representatives of this Russian group.

In the case of Lithuania, an interesting coincidence is that the premises of the gambling club Studio 69 in Riga, which GD&L Services bought last year, belonged to the common-law wife of the former first deputy of the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries in Ukraine, Boris Baum, Karina Sirotkina. The second building was bought by GD&L Services from Terbatas seta, which according to Latvian register data, also belongs to Sirotkina.

It is unknown if Davyd Arakhamiya is involved in all this, but it is known that Artur Granz, who "hates Russia and never lived there," has two sons in this country, who do business there. Arman Granz is the founder of LLC "Mika Holding," and David Granz is the founder of LLC "Avangard," which is one of the co-owners of LLC "Mika Holding." Both enterprises feature a Cypriot offshore "Jeprano Trading Limited," owned by Artur Granz.

In Russia, there is also LLC "Mag-Inter," owned by Maren Granz, the brother of Artur Granz, who "hates Russia." 

All of this is what is found in open sources. Against the backdrop of all this information, a justified suspicion arises that the Ukrainian businessman with a Belarusian passport living in Spain and buying expensive real estate in Latvia, Artur Granz, has a very questionable origin of his capitals. Moreover, he is clearly connected to the Russian authorities and Russian organized crime.

There are too many coincidences in his environment. This includes the online casino VBet, which is under criminal investigation for sponsoring terrorism; the close ties with Davyd Arakhamiya, who is, in turn, connected to Boris Baum, who represented the interests of the Luzhniki OCG in Ukraine, headed by Mikhail Voyevodin, Evgeniy Giner, and Alexander Babakov (the Luzhniki group also has business in Latvia); the direct connection with Boris Baum through his common-law wife, from whom Artur Granz’ company bought real estate in Riga.

There is also other evidence confirming that, despite statements by the "Russian world" enthusiast Svitlana Loboda, who suddenly also adored Latvia, Artur Granz is clearly connected to the Russian authorities. Against this backdrop, the reason for Artur Granz’ urgent relocation from Spain to Latvia is unclear. Both countries are members of the European Union and are not noted for any particular sympathy towards sponsors of Russian aggression. Why, then, is Artur Granz so actively acquiring Latvian assets?