Notes

Aivars Lembergs, a Latvian Oligarch is currently in jail for five years for financial crime.
After 12 years of tense courtroom debate the Latvian Court has handed down its decision in Aivars LEMBERS' highly-publicized trial. This man is one of Latvia's wealthiest men and a prominent political figure in the populist camp. The man was also the former the mayor of Venspils in northwestern Latvia.

Lembergs was sentenced to five years in prison with a confiscation order and fine amounting to EUR20,000 by the Riga Regional Court on February 22. Lembergs was convicted of a variety of charges relating to bribery and money laundering However, he was cleared on other charges in the long-running and complex case.

Lembergs leader, who is a member of For Latvian as well as Ventspils, has compared Lembergs sentence to that of the Russian opposition leader Aleksey Nailny.

Lembergs requested a brief break during which the judge read out the verdict of his case. Lembergs had a quick chat with his son Anrijs after which he used the remainder of the break to make comments to journalists.

Lembergs told the journalists that he plans to appeal against the decision of Riga Regional Court and predicted that the process of hearing his appeal could be delayed for another 10 years. Lembergs is also planning to appeal his detention, even although it will be considered by the court of Riga.

https://rus.lsm.lv/statja/novosti/proisshestvija/ayvar-lembergs-osporil-prigovor-suda.a412593/ After reading the ruling The court then took Lemberg into custody. They also read an impressive list of offshore assets and companies that were held across multiple countries. The court said it would seize these assets.

Aivars Lembergs His co-defendants, Anrijs Lembergs son and Ansis Solmulis, a business associate, were also found guilty. Both were sentenced to two years in prison.

On March 14, 2007 there was a media furore when, encased in handcuffs Lembergs was taken to the Riga City Centre District Court when prosecutors made their first steps to bring allegations of bribery and laundering on a huge amount against him as an individual (investigations into linked suspicions of corruption in Ventpils municipality began in 2005). A verdict has been reached more than 14 years later than the incident.

Aivars Lembergs The case has been moving through Latvian courts at an alarmingly slow pace for more than a decade. In the past 12 years, there have been 770 court hearings in connection to the main criminal proceedings. The total number of 1,483 court hearings have been scheduled since August 20, 2009. It was on this day that the Riga Regional Court reopened adjudication of the case. The hearings will continue until February 11, 2021.

While he is being investigated for corruption and money laundering of large amounts, Lembergs has continued his role as a political powerhouse in Ventspils. In the last two decades, he was the mayor.

Aivars Lembergs While his mayorship was disqualified due to financial crimes however, he maintained his power in the city and ignored a minister's efforts to prevent him from acting as Ventspils mayor. Aivars Lembergs He even took part in government meetings together with the International Monetary Fund, and helped choose candidates for the Latvian president while being under investigation.

Lembergs stated that Latvians would vote whether or not to participate in next municipal elections. However, it is not his top priority.
My Website: https://www.db.lv/zinas/aivars-lembergs-pern-guvis-ienakumus-309-tukstosu-eiro-apmera-414452