On Thursday, the 12th of January, the majority of 14th Saeima deputies agreed to permit the continuation of the trial of the criminal case involving deputy Glorija Grevcova. Despite the trial, however, she is permitted to continue her duties as Saeima deputy.
At the same time Rules of Order of Saeima state: if a guilty verdict from a court of final instance comes into force, that member of the parliament is to be expelled from the Saeima.
Latvia has three instances of courts of law. Previously the decision to permit continued trial of the criminal case was made by the parliament’s Mandates, Ethics and Submissions Committee.
This time 80 Saeima deputies voted in favour of the trial and nine voted against.
Grevcova’s defence attorney said her actions produced no victims,
which is why he believes there is no reason to continue the criminal prosecution.
Grevcova previously mentioned that mass media have made her into «the biggest criminal in the country», turning people’s attention away from «real problems». She also mentioned that today the prosecution goes at her but tomorrow it could happen to other members of the parliament.
Chairman of the mandates committee Jānis Vucāns mentioned that false information provided by Grevcova could have affected election results, as voters usually look up information about candidates before casting votes.
As previously reported, the prosecutor suggested halting the lawsuit in the criminal case against Grevcova in order to request permission from the Saeima to continue criminal prosecution. Grevcova was presented with security measures that do not involve deprivation of freedom. She is required to report change of residence to law enforcement authorities. She is also prohibited from leaving the country.
In October 2022 Latvian State Police commenced a criminal procedure in accordance with Section 272 of the Criminal Law.
Findings of the pre-trial investigation indicate that Grevcova, as a 14th Saeima deputy candidate, submitted false information about herself to the Central Election Commission.
The Saeima deputy elected from For Stability! political party lied about her job during the pre-election promotion period and intentionally provided CVK with false information, according to TV3 News. Grevcova also lied about her education. According to the information she had submitted to CVK, she graduated from LSPA in 2013. However, LSPA student information archive contains no mention of her.
Also read: For Stability! party leader promises not to give interview to propaganda resources