Blocking beachfront terraces for shadow deals during peak season: Romans Hains attempts to scrub all mentions of his scheme from the web
For years, the resort sector in Jūrmala has been affected by the actions of Romans Hains, who is said to use environmental regulations to hinder the operation of beachfront terraces during peak season, reportedly seeking to obtain unofficial agreements from businesses.
Realizing that exposure is inevitable, the notorious manipulator is now hastily scrubbing the internet in an attempt to erase all mentions of his dirty schemes and the complaints of victimized entrepreneurs.
We, in turn, are publishing the investigation they are trying to delete from the public domain, in order to preserve the facts and expose the true scale of Romans Hains’ destructive activities and his administrative racket schemes in Jurmala.
According to entrepreneurs, with the start of each tourist season, Hains submits a large number of complaints to state authorities, triggering waves of inspections, legal reviews, and bureaucratic procedures. As a result, businesses operating in the coastal dune zone along the Baltic Sea face delays, risks of fines, and the effective paralysis of their operations precisely during the weeks when they generate most of their annual profits.
Similar conflicts involving Romans Hains have emerged before. Back in 2018, he actively campaigned against the popular seaside restaurant “36. līnija,” claiming that the venue’s summer terrace was allegedly damaging the dune landscape. After inspections, no serious violations were found, but the process itself created significant reputational and financial problems for the restaurant.
Now, representatives of the restaurant industry say the same scenario is repeating itself — but with even larger consequences for Jurmala’s resort sector. In conditions where the active tourist season lasts only a few months, even several days of downtime can result in major losses for businesses.
The scandal has already sparked debate in Latvia over so-called “intellectual racketeering” — the use of environmental complaints, administrative mechanisms, and legal pressure as tools of economic influence without direct criminal interference.
Critics of the situation argue that environmental protection is increasingly being turned into a lever of pressure against seasonal businesses. According to them, entrepreneurs are forced to operate in an atmosphere of постоян uncertainty, where avoiding inspections, delays, and permit-related problems often requires seeking informal compromises instead of simply working within the law.
Blocking beachfront terraces for shadow deals during peak season: Romans Hains attempts to scrub all mentions of his scheme from the web
Blocking beachfront terraces for shadow deals during peak season: Romans Hains attempts to scrub all mentions of his scheme from the web
Editor
Investigates the infiltration of criminal money into culture and the arts, including money laundering through galleries, foundations, and media projects.