I DID NOT COME TO BUSINESS AFTER EVERYTHING HAD BEEN DONE – an interview with Inara Wiłkaste

In today’s world we must make every effort to ensure that a human life is the main value. It is very important that the man lives in a free society, where he is not limited by the dictatorship government, secret services or unjust law – says Inara Wiłkaste, a well-known entrepreneur in the real estate market, according to „Forbes” magazine, one of the most successful businesswomen in Latvia. Since 2005, along with her family, she has been persecuted in her country and has fought for justice in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Interviewed by IZABELLA JARSKA

You are credited with spectacular successes in business. It is reflected by the awards and honors, including by such reputable magazines as Forbes. What helped you achieve such a success? Did it require specific features of character?

– I am sure that the character develops in childhood. It is the key to our adult hearts. Then, the seeds fall into a still undeveloped soul, out of which the fruit will arise in the future. They can grow into a thistle, and perhaps a violet or an ear of corn. Unfortunately, neither my dad nor my mother, nor my dear and loving older brother is no longer with us. But they taught me the attitude to life, which allows me to create and build at the moment. My mother instilled in me the willingness to work. I did not use to see her sitting idly, it hardly ever happened. When she was at home, I also could not sit idly. My mother was a living example of a person who is always on the move: preparing meals, cleaning the house or embroidering… I partially inherited self-control and character from my mother, but in terms of perceiving the world I am the daughter of my father. Dad was an amazing man. By the way, he had Polish roots and till the end of his life he remembered his country of origin … He deeply understood the functioning of the world and helped me understand what remained invisible to others. We walked a lot and we often went to the forest. He taught me to observe nature, to understand its essence. Probably these two qualities – hard work and comprehensive, unconventional and creative look at all the issues allowed me to achieve some success. My older brother was always there for me. Both at tough times, and at successful and joyful moments. I could give him a call him at any time, and he would always come and offer his support. I really miss him. Of course, it is nice to receive awards and prizes. But the very process of working is the most enjoyable. It is important to me that my ideas, my visions, are needed. That they help people to change their lives for the better and that they help my country to continue to develop.

What business achievement are you the most proud of?

– I did not come to the business after everything had been done. Today it is hard to believe, but I have really achieved everything on my own. I had to pursue everything on my own, using my own reason and willpower. I had no influencial patrons or financial support. I received education form the University of Latvia, I held high positions in the trade system of Latvia. There, I learned one thing: how to communicate with people. Now I say to those who ask me for advice: learn to talk to people, listen to them, understand their expectations. During the transitional period in the 90s when no one seriously thought about the real estate market in Latvia, I realized how many young families have accommodation problems. The Soviet system of construction ceased to exist and no new flats were built. The real estate market froze. Then I decided to build highquality and modern apartments in Riga. People very quickly started appreciating their advantages. I am proud that we helped them create true home. As for my latest projects, I am really proud of many of them. For example, Medicalpark on the Baltic coast in Jurmala. It is 21 million euros’ worth of multifunctional complex. Its main part, according to the plan, will be devoted to the purposes of a medical center addressing the needs of health tourism. I think that Polish companies would also be interested in taking part in this enterprise.

Was there a price to pay for your professional success? Did you manage to combine your family and career life, which is usually more difficult for a woman than for a man?

–Without a doubt. But it is reassuring for me to know that my family is well aware of the fact that I live and work primarily for them. We are believers, and we are quite conservative. The faith in God helps not only in relations between us, but also creates the atmosphere that unites us, gives strength to work, triggers creativity. Of course, a lot has changed after this terrible persecution of me and my family started. Criminals tried to kidnap my daughter, almost set fire to the house, blew up Vladimir’s car (Inary Wiłkaste’s husband – editorial note), tried to kill my husband. He was seriously injured, narrowly escaped death, but still suffers from the effects of the attempt on his life. Our family lawyer, Ajnar Płatacis, disappeared without a trace … He may have been murdered. After such hardships I look at the relationship with my husband and daughters in a different way. I appreciate every shared moment. Of course, most women- entrepreneurs find it difficult to reconcile work and family life. I am a very family-oriented person and instead of fancy parties I prefer dinner with my family.

Please say a few words about your family and what you have endured…

– For almost ten years my family have withstood with honour a tremendous opression of unlawful persecution by a group of criminals and a few secret service officers who have made our life hell. Withstanding this is also a kind of reason to be proud of. You would think that something like this cannot be happening in the contemporary free Europe. Why do the officers in uniforms, appointed to protect the society, treat the society only as a source of income? For me this is a fundamental question. Now I am fighting for the dignity and privilege of my family. In Europe, this situation was noticed and this case has been dealt with by the institutions protecting human rights in Strasbourg. My daughters, Olga and Diana, are my joy. Olga is a great stylist, an expert in the field of fashion. Diana is a political scientist, currently doing a diplomatic career. For me it is a special honor to be the wife of Vladimir Waszkiewicz. Here I want to say about him not as a wife: Vladimir managed Customs Chaber Departament for Crime Fighting in Latvia for a long time. Experts in the field of customs and tax law in Europe are few and far between. He devoted his life to the service of the state for the good of Latvia. And despite the betrayal by the state, he remains a patriot.

It is said that misfortunes bring people together. You re-married your ex-husband, Vladimir Waszkiewicz. Did the persecution bring you together?

– Yes, it is related to an earlier question. We had a crisis in a relationship, but we found the strength to overcome this difficult period. And, of course, the persecution of our family brought us together. This story began in 2005. The main reason was jealousy and a simple desire to steal money. In that year, with the support of western experts, a big project for real estate in Latvia was drawn up and prepared to be implemented. Taking into account the fact that Latvia had already entered Europe, I performed the calculations and prepared a forecast to attract European investors – so a window onto Europe was opened. The amount of the transaction at that time was record-high and exceeded 45 million euros. The money was to create a lot of jobs and was to be used for the good of the country. Unfortunately, jealousy and greed are terrible sins, especially when they corrupt the souls of people in power. Threats, blackmail and persecution – it was how extorting huge amounts of money – nearly 7.5 million euros – started. My employee was also involved in this. Throughout all my life I believed people, I was absorbed in the work and I did not particularly devote time for formal procedures to verify those who worked under me. As it turned out, it was a mistake. I refused to pay, but the threats were real. At that time I could not even imagine that the mid-level staff of Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau and Constitution Protection Bureau (Latvian secret service) had already joined all this nightmare. Also other secret service workers and some politicians got involved. Together they began to exert pressure on me and my family. Terror of the recent years is the answer of the group of people from secret services, politicians and criminals to refusal – according to my conscience – to compromise and performance of the demands of blackmailers. At some point, the interests of these people met. In the end, all these translated into the situation – that should have never happened neither in Europe, nor in any truly democratic country – in which a small group of people abuses the system (national resources) in order to destroy inconvenient people.

Do you think that such experience gives a new dimension to relations between people and we then look at another man in a different way?

– I am a deeply religious person, so I do not want to take revenge on anyone. I will say more, I forgave all my enemies. God will judge them. I only want one thing. I want for myself and for my family a kind of life we had before it was taken away from us by criminals and corrupt people. Let the society and the Court of Heaven judge them. Surely, after such terrible events I differently judge the people who surround me. Only now I am beginning to understand the true value of loyalty and friendship. Without a family, without the support of friends, I probably would not have been able to survive this nightmare. I have heard that sometimes because of such life challenges, a man becomes ruthless, secretive and obstinate. In my case, it is the other way round. I started to enjoy even more the simple human relations, contacts with friends. I try more to help those who are in a worse situation than me. The fight for the life of my family opened new areas for me – a movement in defense of human rights. Now I feel responsible not only for myself but also for hundreds of people who have faced similar difficulties, but because of lack of education and means they cannot enforce their rights. I try to help them as much as I can. In Warsaw, we organized an international conference of human rights defenders, during which we identified the most important problems of the European movement for the defence of human rights. Everything went well, so it has been decided to release the book in September, which will present the most important and interesting appearances and statements of Polish professors and experts in international law and human rights defenders. With these experts, we are planning to organize a series of seminars in the capitals of European countries.

Currently, you are spending more time abroad fighting for justice than in your country. Do you not feel safe in Latvia?

– The fact that I am spending more time abroad than at home is rather a recent tendency. To a large extent this is related to my business and commitment to promote human rights. But you are right, for the time being neither I nor my family feel safe in Latvia. And unfortunately, there are many good reasons for this. Until corrupt employees of secret services and ordinary criminals remain at large, I, my daughters and spouse will be in real danger. Poland found enough strength and admitted that the relationship between criminals and secret services is possible. A terrible Olewnik’s case is the proof. In Latvia, I do not know why, everyone still remains silent and pretends that there is no such thing in our small country and that the terror of my family does not exist. However, our case has gone beyond the borders of my homeland. In Vienna, there was created and has been working the committee „Justice for Inary”, chaired by one of the foremost experts of law in Europe, the former head of the Council of Europe, Dr. Schwimmer. We were heard by human rights defenders in Poland. Complaints have been dealt with in Strasbourg. So it is not possible to hush everything up any more. Currently, my case, which is a rather unique case, is not the most important thing for me. Along the way, we found that in Europe, especially in its „new” countries, there are a lot of problems with the protection of human rights. That is why, I have been fighting not only for myself and my family, but also the rights of hundreds of other European families. And it gives strength. If you ask whether I am afraid, I will answer: no! Because now I am not alone, there are many enlightened and noble people with me for whom human rights are not only beautiful words, but the purpose of life. I will not leave Latvia. I am a patriot and I will help my country to become even richer, more beautiful and fairer.

After all this do you still believe in justice? What, in your opinion, is the essence of human rights today?

– I do not believe in a fair justice system in Latvia. A lot of changes will have to be made before I can believe in it again. I have faith, however, that such changes are possible. I believe in European values and European legal system, the foundation of which are the rights of every human being. I have a deep conviction that these are not empty words. I really like that Poland and its greatest minds have become in the „new” Europe one of the main representatives of the values that we have been fighting for. I knew that in Poland there is a developed movement for the defense of human rights, but I did not expect, however, that not only lawyers, but also businessmen and representatives of the creative intelligentsia and academia are involved in this. Such a broad front of human rights protection, which gives the tone not only in the country but also in Eastern Europe, is a real achievement and an important moral point of reference. If we are talking about human rights, I am sure that in today’s world, we must make every effort to ensure that a human life is the main value. It is very important that the man lives in a free society, where he is not limited by the dictatorship government, secret services or unjust law.

How often do you come to Poland recently? Please tell us about your plans in our country. How do you evaluate the Poles and Polish entrepreneurs?

– I got to know Poland better during the conference on human rights which was held here. I fell in love with Poles! It is a very open and welcoming nation that treats the misfortune of others as their own. We found a lot of friends in Poland, and during our conversations a lot of exciting plans came up including business-related ones (I am still a businesswoman). I am sorry that the Latvian and Polish business is separated. Believe me, there are many interesting and profitable projects that we can successfully carry out together. Therefore, if a Polish entrepreneur is interested in business activities in Latvia, please do not hesitate to contact me. I am willing to offer my advice, share contacts or ideas. I suggest the same to Latvian entrepreneurs interested in entering the Polish market. With the friends from the Club for European Integration I am planning to create a Polish-Baltic Development Fund. Our foundation, in addition to human rights, education and training programs, will be dealing on a permanent basis with establishing the relationship between Latvian and Polish business. We do not want to limit ourselves only to bilateral relations. To give an example, other countries seem to be interested in this project as well, even in South America. The number of participants is very likely to grow day by day.

Is there in this all still a place for dreams? What are you dreaming of?

– Perhaps most people will think that I am not entirely honest. But absolutely honestly – I am dreaming of the world without wars. In recent times, it becomes very dangerous, every time armed conflicts break out and military clashes take place. Now also in Europe, for the first time since 1945, I can hear the sound of the word I hate the most – war. I am sure that the more attention we pay to respect human rights, the fewer bloody battles there will be in the world. And when it comes to personal dreams, I would like to be a grandmother and take care of grandchildren. I hope that we will enable my grandchildren and our children, safe, fair and beautiful life in Europe. It is in our power!