RIGA - Latvian juice producer Gutta has filed a claim against the company's former board chairman, Arnis Lidurs Fridjonsons, for 60,900 lats (86,600 euros) in damages, the Riga Regional Court has stated.
According to the application submitted by Gutta, Fridjonsons has caused the company "huge damages with malicious intent."
Gutta managers claim that Fridjonsons misappropriated computer equipment and a Toyota Land Cruiser owned by the company after he was dismissed as board chairman by a shareholder resolution in September 20004.
The company also accuses Fridjonsons of pocketing 19,067 lats that he had removed from Gutta's bank account by making two unauthorized electronic transfers.
In addition, Gutta aims to recover rent for the apartment the former chairman was using and the cost of various goods and services that he had purchased during his tenure but which were not essential for the company.
Fridjonsons is also accused of indirect participation in one of Gutta's business partner companies and making decisions in favor of the latter against Gutta's interests.
The juice producer is also certain that the former board chairman had disclosed confidential information.
Fridjonsons himself was not available to Baltic News Service for comments.
Gutta is one of the largest juice producers in Latvia. In 2003 the company increased profit 2.3 times to 235,200 lats, and net turnover grew 26 percent from 2002 to 8.74 million lats.
