Notes

Aivars Lembergs, Latvian oligarch, sentenced to five years in jail for financial crimes
After 12 long years of heated court wranglings, a Latvian judge has delivered its verdict in the high profile trial of Aivars Leonbergs. Aivars was one of the country’s richest men and an influential populist political politician. He also served as the mayor of Venspils which is a port town in northwest Latvia.

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

Lembergs who is also the leader of For Latvian Ventspils has compared Lembergs’ sentencing case to Aleksey navalny, a Russian activist in the opposition.

Lembergs pleaded with the judge to take a break as he was reading the verdict in his case. Aivars Lembergs https://www.santa.lv/raksts/privatadzive/lembergs-pec-iznaksanas-no-cietuma-izperk-partikas-veikalu-48073/ Lembergs had a brief conversation with his son Anrijs. He then utilized the remaining time to speak to journalists.

Lembergs told journalists that he will appeal the decision of the Riga Regional Court. He added that the decision on his appeal will last at least ten years. Lembergs also stated that he will appeal the detention despite the fact that it is being heard at the same regional court.

After reading the judgment, the court took Lembergs into custody. They also read an impressive list of offshore assets and companies that were seized in many jurisdictions. The court stated it would seize the assets.

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

Lembergs was held in handcuffs in the Riga City Centre district court on March 14 in 2007. Prosecutors first made moves against him to file charges of bribery, money laundering, and conspiracy to extort massive amounts of cash against the individual. (Inquiries into the underlying suspicions of corruption in Ventpils municipality began in 2005). The verdict was handed down nearly 14 years after the event.

Over the past decade, the case has made its way in a farcically slow pace through the Latvian justice system. In the past twelve years, 770 court hearings have been scheduled in connection with the main criminal cases. https://www.apollo.lv/term/77273/aivars-lembergs There have been 1,483 court hearings in the time since the Riga Regional Court took over adjudication on the case in August 2009. They will continue to do so up to February 11, 20 and 2021.

Despite facing trial on allegations of bribery, as well as money laundering on an extensive amount, Lembergs has continued to serve as a political kingpin and within the city of Ventspils in the city of Ventspils, where he served as the mayor for two decades and as a key influence in the Greens and Farmers Alliance political group he supports.

After being found guilty of financial crimes, his election as mayor was rescheduled. However, he had the power to make decisions and was able to defeat a minister's attempt at stopping him from being Ventspils mayor. He was even a participant in the International Monetary Fund's government meetings , and was a part of the selection process for candidates for the Latvian presidency.

Lembergs stated that the decision on Latvia's participation in the forthcoming municipal elections would be made in his region party For Latvia and Ventspils. https://www.diena.lv/atslegvards/aivars-lembergs But he said that participating in the election is not his primary goal.
Read More: https://www.diena.lv/atslegvards/aivars-lembergs