🇱🇻🇱🇹 Baltic Regulatory & Enforcement Watch
Retail, VAT Fraud and Anti-Corruption Cases
🇱🇻 Latvia: Competition Authority Investigates Possible Retail Price Coordination
Konkurences padome (KP) has carried out procedural actions at Latvia’s two largest food retailers — Rimi Latvia and Maxima Latvija — as part of an investigation into possible horizontal price coordination.
KP reported signs of a potential prohibited agreement under Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The authority stated that companies may have failed to act independently in setting retail prices.
If a cartel violation were confirmed, fines could reach up to 10% of global annual turnover per company.
2024 financials:
Rimi Latvia — revenue €1.126bn, net profit €38.1m
Maxima Latvija — revenue €1.102bn, net profit €50.8m
Both companies state they determine prices independently and are cooperating with the regulator. The investigation remains ongoing.
🇱🇹 Lithuania: EPPO Searches in Large-Scale VAT Fraud Investigation
Europos prokuratūra (EPPO), together with Finansinių nusikaltimų tyrimo tarnyba (FNTT), conducted searches this week at major Lithuanian companies trading electronics and household appliances as part of an international VAT fraud probe.
According to EPPO, suspected damage to the Lithuanian state budget may reach €7 million, while the value of suspicious transactions exceeds €60 million. The investigation concerns alleged cross-border VAT carousel schemes.
EPPO did not officially name the companies involved.
According to Lithuanian media reports, procedural actions were carried out at:
Varle
Topo grupÄ—, which operates Topo centras
The companies have confirmed searches took place but state that no formal charges have been filed and that they are cooperating with authorities.
Topo grupė is currently undergoing restructuring, with total creditor liabilities reaching approximately €39.35 million at the end of 2024.
All persons concerned are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
🇱🇹 Lithuania: Anti-Corruption Probe in State Plant Certification Service
Specialiųjų tyrimų tarnyba (STT) is investigating alleged systemic corruption within Valstybinė augalininkystės tarnyba.
Former agency head Jurijus Kornijenko was questioned this week. A total of 14 individuals have been named as suspects in the pre-trial investigation.
Investigators suspect systematic bribe payments in exchange for the issuance of phytosanitary certificates for plant and plant-based cargo.
Earlier searches reportedly uncovered:
€1.3m in cash
8 kg of gold (approx. €1m in value)
explosives and narcotic substances
The case remains under pre-trial investigation.
Regional Note
Across Latvia and Lithuania, competition, financial crime and anti-corruption authorities are actively pursuing cases in retail pricing, cross-border VAT schemes and certification systems.
All investigations are ongoing and subject to judicial review. BSM © 2026
Image: photos/photo_210@27-02-2026_20-27-36.jpg