Ainārs Šlesers

Ainārs Šlesers ( born January 22, 1970 as Ainārs Leščinskis in Riga) is a Latvian businessman and politician. He held several times a ministerial post.

Life

He grew up in the Riga district Kengarags and has a medium degree. From 1992 to 1994 Šlesers lived in Norway. Then he began a successful entrepreneurship in Latvia. As early as 1997 he was included in the list of Latvian millionaires.

From 1999 to 2002 he studied at the Latvian Christian Academy, but reached no conclusion. At the same time he was deputy from 1998 to 2002 in the 7th Saeima, the parliament of the Republic of Latvia, and from November 1998 to April 1999 Minister of his country's economy.

In 2002 he was co-founder of Latvijas Pirma Partija (LPP, First Party of Latvia ), which the 8th Saeima in October 2002, won 10 of 100 parliamentary seats in the election and entered into a coalition government under Einar Repše of the New Era with other parties. Šlesers was from November 2002 to January 2004 and March 2004 to December 2004 Deputy Prime Minister and from March 2004 to March 2006 Minister of Transport. Between November 2006 and March 2009, he again served as the Minister for Transport his country.

In May 2011, the Latvian President Valdis Zatlers the dissolution of parliament asked the Constitutional Court after it had refused to waive the immunity of Šlesers, is to be determined against the corruption. The Latvian anti-corruption authority had previously an investigation against Šlesers, who is considered one of the richest men in the country strained because of shady dealings.

Due to the poor election results in the 2011 parliamentary elections, he sparked his party on December 1.

Private

Šlesers is married with Inese Šlesere, Miss Latvia 1991, whose surname he assumed in 1992. The couple has four children.