Notes

Latvian Oligarch Aivars Lembergs jailed for five years for financial fraud
After 12 years of courtroom wrangling, a Latvian judge has delivered his verdict in the high profile trial of Aivars Leonbergs. Aivars was one of the richest men in Latvia and an influential populist political politician. He was also the mayor of Venspils which is a port town located in northwest Latvia.

Lembergs was sentenced on the 22nd of February by the Riga Regional Court. He was found guilty of a variety of charges including money laundering and the use of bribery.

Aivars Lembergs Lembergs head of the For Latvia and Ventspils party and has compared his sentence to that of Russian opposition activist Aleksey Navalny.

When the judge was reading the verdict of his case, Lembergs asked for a brief break and was granted him. https://www.trtrussian.com/news/ajvars-lembergs During that break, Lembergs first had a brief conversation with his son and his co-defendant Anrijs and then used his time to provide remarks to reporters.

Lembergs informed journalists that he was appealing his decision to the Riga Regional Court and that it was likely that his appeal hearing would last another 10 years. Lembergs also plans to appeal his detention, even though it will still be considered by the regional court.

After reading the judgment and then reading it, the court decided that Lembergs should be taken into custody.

His codefendants, Anrijs and Ansis Lembergs, were found guilty on a variety of linked accusations. They were sentenced to two years in prison.

Lembergs was handcuffed and taken to Riga City Centre Court on 14 March 2007. This was the start of the prosecution's attempts to bring him up to date on charges of money laundering and bribery. An investigation into allegations of corruption in Ventpils began in 2005. Aivars Lembergs The verdict was handed down almost 14 years later than the incident.

The trial has been progressing at a ridiculously slow pace in Latvia's legal system for over a decade. In the last twelve years, 770 court trials have been scheduled in connection with the main criminal proceeding. From August 20, 2009 the date that Riga Regional Court resumed adjudication until February 11, 2021, 1,483 court trials were conducted.

Aivars Lembergs Despite being on trial on charges of bribery, and money laundering on a massive scale, Lembergs continues to be a powerful leader in the political arena, as well as in the city of Ventspils in which he served as the mayor for two decades and also as a major influencer in the Greens and Farmers Alliance political group he supports.

Aivars Lembergs The mayor's election was rescinded after he was accused of financial fraud. Aivars Lembergs But he continued his dominance of the city, fighting off an attempt by a minister for him to be stopped from being Ventspils president. He also took part in government meetings with the International Monetary Fund, and helped choose candidates for the Latvian presidency while under investigation.

Lembergs stated the municipal elections in Latvia have been delayed and the final decision on participation will be made by the regional party For Latvia & Ventspils. But, he stated that his vote is not the main reason for his participation.
Homepage: https://www.tvnet.lv/term/77273/aivars-lembergs