Ethics Committee approves initiation of Saeima deputy’s criminal prosecution

On Tuesday the Saeima’s Madates, Ethics and Submissions Committee approved the request from the prosecutor’s office to commence criminal prosecution of Saeima deputy and general practitioner Juris Jakovins, as reported by LETA.

The final decision will be made by the Saeima.

A request for that was submitted to the Saeima by the Office of the Prosecutor of the Investigation of Criminal Offences in the Service of State Institutions. Following the request from the prosecutor’s office, the meeting was held behind closed doors.

The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) requested the office of the prosecutor to present charges to Saeima deputy and general practitioner Jakovins and two attorneys – Edgars Atlācis and Agnese Kauce. The criminal charges concern possible document forgery.

KNAB reports that the bureau has obtained evidence that two attorneys together with a general practitioner may have submitted false extract from an outpatient medical card to a court of law as an excuse for the attorneys’ absence at a court hearing. As a result of their criminal activities, the court adjourned proceedings.

The evidence obtained by the KNAB investigation provides sufficient grounds to claim that a sworn attorney specializing in the provision of various legal services incited the family doctor to falsify an extract from the medical card of a colleague of the attorney – a sworn attorney.

In turn, the sworn advocate allegedly submitted a forged extract of her health condition and doctor’s instructions to the Vidzeme District Court, thus achieving the postponement of the hearing and delay of the proceedings in the civil case, the KNAB reported.

KNAB drew attention to the fact that incapacity sheets, extracts and various other opinions on the state of health of a natural person provided by medical practitioners are documents within the meaning of the Criminal Law.

Thus, the preparation and submission of an extract that contains false information about the actual state of health of the patient should be treated as a forgery of the document.

The KNAB urged the prosecutor’s office to prosecute a sworn advocate for instigating the forgery of a document releasing from duty, as well as a general practitioner for falsifying the document and a sworn advocate for using a forged document.

If the Saeima agrees to permit criminal prosecution of one of its members, he or she may fully continue to work in the Saeima, both by participating in the sittings of the Saeima and the committee, as well as by voting in them and receiving full remuneration.