Notes

Aivars Lembergs is jailed in Latvia for five years because of financial fraud.
After 12 long years of courtroom wrangling the Latvian judge has delivered his verdict in the high profile case of Aivars Leonbergs. Aivars was one of the nation's most wealthy men and was a well-known populist persona. He was also the mayor of Venspils which is a port town in the northwest of Latvia.

Lembergs was sentenced for five years imprisonment as well as confiscation of his property and a fine amounting to EUR20,000 by the Riga Regional Court on February 22. Lembergs was convicted on several charges related to bribery and money laundering, but the court cleared him of other charges in this lengthy and complicated case.

Aivars Lembergs Lembergs who is also leader of For Latvian Ventspils has made a comparison of Lembergs’ sentencing case to Aleksey navalny, a Russian opposition activist.

As the judge was reading the verdict in his case, Lembergs asked for a brief break, which was granted to him. During that break, Lembergs had brief conversations with his son and his co-defendant Anrijs and then used his time to give remarks to reporters.

Lembergs told journalists that he was appealing Riga Regional Court's decision and that it was likely that his appeal hearing would take another ten years. https://www.liepajniekiem.lv/tema/aivars-lembergs/ Lembergs also plans to appeal his detention even though this appeal will be considered by the same regional court.

After having read the judgment, Lembergs were taken into custody. The process included studying an impressively long list of properties and asset lists and holdings of offshore companies in various jurisdictions that the court stated it was going to confiscate.

Aivars Lembergs His codefendants, Anrijs Lembergs son and Ansis Solmulis' business associate were found to be guilty as well. They each received two-year prison sentences.

Aivars Lembergs Lembergs was detained at the Riga City Centre District court. https://www.ntz.lv/dazadi/ko-turpmak-nedrikstes-aivars-lembergs/ On March 14 2007 prosecutors began to press charges of bribery as well in money laundering charges against Lembergs. These were first steps to pursue against Lembergs as an suspect (investigagations into suspected corruption in Ventpils municipality had started in 2005). A little over fourteen years later, a decision is handed down.

For more than a year, the case has progressed in a slow, and sometimes insane pace through the Latvian justice system. Aivars Lembergs In the twelve-year period the court proceedings were held in 770 cases. held in connection to the main criminal proceeding. Since August 20, 2009 the date that Riga Regional Court resumed adjudication, to February 11, 2021, 1,483 court hearings were held.

Despite being accused of money laundering and bribery Lembergs remained a political kingpin in Ventspils. He was the town's mayor for more than 20 years.

His election to mayor was suspended because the mayor was accused of financial fraud. However, he continued to exercise dominance in the city, defying one minister's attempts for him to be disqualified from being Ventspils president. When he was indicted, he was a participant in government meetings with the International Monetary Fund and helped to choose candidates for the Latvian presidency.

Lembergs made a statement about the forthcoming elections in Latvia He said Ventspils and his regional party For Latvia will make the choice to be part of the elections. However, his main goal is not his participation at present.
My Website: https://www.liepajniekiem.lv/tema/aivars-lembergs/