Public interest in recovering illegally collected mandatory procurement component (OIK) payments in Latvia continues to grow. Over the weekend, the Tiesiskums.lv (Justice.lv) Lawyers’ Association forum in Ventspils drew a record number of participants – nearly 300 people. The spacious hall of the Pārventa Library was packed, and contract signing for OIK recovery in person continued without pause throughout the entire event, sworn advocate and Doctor of Law Artis Stucka told BNN.
Ventspils was already the fourth state city to host a Tiesiskums.lv forum on recovering the unlawfully collected OIK. These public forums show a clear trend – people all over Latvia are increasingly concerned not only with the opportunity to recover the OIK, but also with broader issues of the rule of law. This is relevant not only for private individuals, but also for business owners, who are increasingly taking part in the forums.
“The rapidly growing public interest suggests that people are paying more attention to how fair state institutions are towards their citizens. They see that the promised benefits from OIK payments never materialised. Latvia has not become a green energy paradise, and electricity prices continue to rise,” says Artis Stucka.
The association notes that anyone – individual or business – who had a contract with any electricity trader operating in Latvia between 2005 and 2023 is eligible to recover the unlawfully collected OIK.
Applications for OIK recovery can be submitted until the 1st of October this year.
This can be done electronically by registering on the association’s website https://tiesiskums.lv, or by signing paper contracts in person. Those wishing to sign contracts during a forum in person must bring an identity document – passport or ID card – while business representatives must also know their company registration number. Both registration on the association’s website and in-person contract signing are free of charge. The association will deduct a fee for its expenses only after a positive outcome, from the recovered amount.
Regional forums are not the only way to sign cooperation contracts with the association in person. Contracts can already be signed every Wednesday at the Latvian Pensioners’ Federation office in Riga, Bruņinieku Street 29/31, third floor, office 317, from 15:00 to 18:00. An identity document – passport or ID card – must be presented. The association also plans to expand in-person signing opportunities to law offices in regional centres. This option is already available in Liepāja, at the office of sworn advocate Ēriks Štālbergs, Friča Brīvzemnieka Street 38, and in Valmiera Municipality, residents wishing to sign a contract should contact sworn advocate Aldis Alliks (email: [email protected]).
The Tiesiskums.lv initiative is also supported by two influential NGOs – the Latvian Pensioners’ Federation (LPF) and the Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees (LIZDA). The agreements between these organisations provide for cooperation not only in recovering unlawfully collected OIK payments, but also in broader joint efforts to increase accountability in the activities of public institutions and officials.
Read also: BNN Interview | Lawyer Stucka: everyone was deceived by the OIK – it’s time to hold someone accountable