Notes

Aivars Lembergs, a Latvian Oligarch, is imprisoned for five years in connection with financial crimes.
After 12 years of litigation, a Latvian court finally delivered its verdict in a high-profile case involving Aivars Lemmebergs. He is one of the richest men in the country and a popular populist politician. He was also the former mayor in Venspils (a port city in northern Latvia).

On February 22, the Riga Regional Court sentenced Lembergs to five years of prison, confiscation of property , and an amount of EUR20,000 in fines after ruling him guilty on various charges related to money-laundering and bribery while acquitting him of other charges in the tangled and lengthy investigation.

https://www.tvnet.lv/term/77273/aivars-lembergs Lembergs is the head of For Latvia & Ventspils party. He has compared his sentencing with the one of Aleksey Navalny. Russia's opposition politician.

Lembergs requested that the judge take a brief rest while he read the verdict. Lembergs had a quick conversation with his son Anrijs, and then used his break to make comments to journalists.

Lembergs told the reporters that they are appealing the Riga Regional Court ruling and predicted that the hearing will take another 10 years. Lembergs also plans to appeal his detention, even the appeal will be heard by the regional court.

After having read the judgment and reading it, the court decided that the Lembergs' would be taken into custody.

The codefendants of his, Anrijs Lembergs son and Ansis Solmulis business associate were also found guilty. Both were sentenced to two years in prison.

Aivars Lembergs Aivars Lembergs Lembergs was shackled at the Riga City Centre district court on March 14, 2007. Prosecutors first made attempts to bring charges of bribery and money laundering, and conspiracy to extort large amounts of money against Lembergs as an individual. Aivars Lembergs (Inquiries into related suspicions of corruption within Ventpils municipality began in 2005.). Aivars Lembergs Aivars Lembergs Now, nearly 14 years later, a decision has been handed down.

The trial has been progressing at a farcically slow rate in Latvia's legal system for more than 10 years. In total 770 court hearings were held in connection with the main criminal proceedings for the past 12 years. There have been 1,483 court hearings in the time since the Riga Regional Court took over adjudication of the case in the month of August, 2009. They continue to hold court hearings up to February 11, 20, 2021.

Despite being on trial on allegations of bribery, as well as money laundering on a massive scale, Lembergs continues to act as a political kingpin as well as within the city of Ventspils in which he served as mayor for two decades, and as a prominent influence within the Greens and Farmers Alliance political organization that he finances.

https://www.negeri.live/ilmu-https-lv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aivars_Lembergs Even though his term as mayor was suspended due to financial crimes however, he maintained his authority in the city. He ignored a minister's efforts to stop him from acting in the role of Ventspils mayor. He was a participant in meetings of the government with International Monetary Fund while indicted and helped select candidates for Latvian presidency.

In relation to Latvia's forthcoming municipal elections, Lembergs said that the decision to be a part of these elections will be decided by his regional party For Latvia and Ventspils, however, his participation in these elections is currently not his main priority.
Homepage: https://www.tvnet.lv/term/77273/aivars-lembergs