As it it was previously reported - international sanctions have been directed against the real beneficiary of the tour operator "TT Baltics Ltd.”, which is more widely known as the representative of the TUI group in the Baltics (hereinafter - TT Baltics), so the company has cancelled all planned trips. Refunds to customers for trips that did not take place are still ongoing and TT Baltics has submitted information to the Consumer Rights Protection Center (PTAC) that until May 24, 2023, travellers in Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have been reimbursed a total of EUR 1,708,252.49, of which EUR 696,136.59 has been paid to Latvian consumers. Considering the information submitted by TT Baltics, approximately EUR 300,000 is pending to be paid to travellers from the Baltic countries who have applied for refunds.
The progress of the payment process is stable, but at a slow pace, due to the large number consumers the refund to be paid for travel, as well as payments were made 2-3 years ago, during which some consumers have changed account numbers and banks, which requires additional checks from the bank , to ensure that the funds do not become available to the sanctioned person and transparent refunds to customers take place.
Considering the special situation of applying sanctions to the beneficial owner of TT Baltics, a process of this type and size has never been implemented and the parties involved have encountered various obstacles during the process:
- Different processes in LV, LT and EE;
- Lack of proper quality of prepared payments;
- Applicable sanctions by the OFAC of the US Department of the Treasury;
- Some banks do not accept and process payments from a sanctioned company;
- There is no special regulatory basis in Latvia that would regulate this process.
Both TT Baltics and the banks, as well as the corresponding state institutions of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, are doing everything in they can to ensure that the money paid to all travellers who have submitted applications to be refunded. Currently all possible actions are being taken in order to be able to resume making the remaining payments in Lithuania and to complete a small number of payments to consumers in Latvia and Estonia.
Additional information on international sanctions against Russia and Belarus - on the website of the Bank of Latvia.
