Latvian Interior Minister Linda Murniece, who placed former Moscow mayor Yury Luzhkov on a blacklist of people whose presence in the country is "undesirable," said she had made the decision based on information from the country's security services.
Luzhkov earlier requested a Latvian residence permit, but was denied by Latvian authorities.
"It is obvious that his goal was not to invest in Latvia or the Latvian economy, but to use Latvia for trips into the Schengen Zone," Murniece said, adding that Luzhkov's hate speeches concerning Latvia also contributed to imposing an entry ban on him.
Under Latvian immigration laws, foreigners can seek residence permits if they have bought real estate worth between 50,000 to 100,000 lats ($100,000-200,000) or if they have 200,000 lats ($400,000) in a Latvian banking account.
Luzhkov invested 200,000 lat ($400,000) in the subordinated capital of Latvia's Rietumu Banka commercial bank and owns real estate in the country.
The ex-Moscow mayor, who had held the high profile post since 1992, was sacked last year by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev following an extensive smear campaign against him by the state-controlled media. Medvedev cited corruption and negligence of duty as the main reasons for the dismissal.
Murniece earlier said that Latvia would request Russia's help in establishing whether the money that Luzhkov put on his account was acquired lawfully.
Luzhkov has criticized the Latvian authorities on numerous occasions for their policies in regard to the extensive Russian-speaking population of the Baltic state.
A number of media sources earlier reported that Luzhkov had also filed a request for a British visa.
RIGA, January 18 (RIA Novosti)
