Head of Maxima Latvia supermarket chain fired over comments

PanARMENIAN.Net - The head of a supermarket chain in Latvia has lost his job over controversial comments he made after the collapse of a shop in Riga, BBC News reported.

Gintaras Jasinskas, chairman of Maxima Latvia, sparked anger by saying: "It is those who feel guilty who resign." His remarks came after he was asked whether any company executives would follow Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis' lead and step down.

At least 54 people died when the Maxima supermarket collapsed last week.

Asked about the disaster, Jasinskas said he felt "responsible, but not guilty", adding that he could "look people in the eyes".

Maxima, which has its headquarters in neighbouring Lithuania, operates supermarkets in all three Baltic states.

The foreign ministry summoned Lithuania's ambassador Ricardas Degutis to demand an explanation, according to local media. Mindaugas Bagdonavicius, Lithuanian chief executive of the Maxima Group, later announced Jasinskas had been sacked over Thursday, November 28 remarks.

"Shareholders have decided to dismiss from his position the chairman of Maxima Latvija Gintaras Jasinskas for his unacceptably expressed opinion at this painful and difficult time for Latvia's nation," Reuters quoted Bagdonavicius as saying.

The Latvian prime minister announced his resignation - and thereby the fall of his government - on Wednesday.

President Berzins earlier described the disaster as "murder" and called for foreign experts to investigate what had happened.

Berzins is now considering appointing a new government. Elections are not scheduled until October next year.

The collapse was the biggest loss of life since Latvia became independent from the USSR in 1991. Police have opened a criminal investigation into the cause of the disaster.