Should Aivars Lembergs, who has been sanctioned by the US and the UK, take away the Order of the Three Stars? This issue has come up once again after the British government stated in a statement that “Lemberg, as mayor of Ventspils, has been responsible for serious corruption or has been involved in serious corruption in the form of bribery and embezzlement”.
“The most interesting part is that he has been sanctioned by the other NATO superpower, not to mention the legal proceedings and the first two convictions. I would like to see the reaction of our politicians. Where are all those voices of truth, such as the National Alliance? It is also interesting to find out what the president and the prime minister think about all this. Whether such state awards are to be taken away from such people or whether they are to be left in their hands. Maybe it’s time to give away a first-class Order of Three Stars,” Ventspils City Council member Aivis Landmanis wrote on social networks.
For his part, the Chancellor of the Chapter of Orders, former Commander of the Latvian National Armed Forces Raimonds Graube, when asked by BNN whether, after the imposition of the British sanctions, the Chapter of Orders may consider the issue of the removal of the Order of the Three Stars from the hands of Aivars Lembergs, said that commenting on such issues is against the rules of the Chapter of Orders and indicated that the cases the highest awards of the state may be taken away are regulated by the Law on State Awards.
The Order of the Three Stars is the highest civilian order awarded for meritorious service to the Republic of Latvia.
As explained on the website of the State President’s Chancellery: “The definition of achievements in this regard refers to outstanding individual accomplishments, to long periods of exemplary and successful activities, and to particular achievements during the period when the independence of Latvia was being restored and strengthened.”
The Chapter of Orders may revoke state awards if the recipient has been found guilty of an intentional criminal offence by a court ruling that has legally entered into force; has committed an embarrassing offence which was unknown to the Captain of the Order at the time of awarding the award and which is incompatible with the status of the awarded person; renounced the state award after it was presented and returned it together with the documents to the Chapter of Orders; before presenting the award, submitted a written application to the Chapter of Orders regarding the renunciation of the awarded award, the Law on State Awards explains.
In the latest history of Latvia, the article of the law, according to which the highest award of the state can be taken away for the intentional commission of a crime, has been applied only once – in 2021, the Cross of Recognition was annulled for Jelgava businessman Gunārs Bubulis, who was found guilty of giving a bribe of EUR 140 thousand.
Riga Regional Court, meanwhile, has found Aivars Lembergs guilty of bribery, money laundering, unauthorized participation in a property transaction and falsification of documents again after the first attempt to appeal the verdict. However, Lembergs still submitted a cassation complaint over the sentence, which includes four years in prison and confiscation of property.