The Riga Regional Court on Tuesday upheld the ruling of the court of first instance sentencing former Bank of Latvia Governor Ilmārs Rimšēvičs and businessman Māris Martinsons to prison for bribery-related offences.
In his final statement earlier, Rimšēvičs maintained that the case had still failed to establish when, where, how much, how and for what purpose the bribes had allegedly been paid.
As previously reported, at the end of 2023 the Riga District Court in Jūrmala sentenced Rimšēvičs to six years in prison and one year of probation supervision. The court also ordered the confiscation of his assets, including several properties in Garkalne Municipality, an apartment in Jūrmala and a property in Ventspils Municipality.
Businessman Martinsons was also found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. The court also ordered the recovery of more than EUR 150,000 from him. His company, MM investīcijas, was subjected to a coercive measure, under which EUR 3.1 million is to be recovered from the company.
The court of first instance also issued an ancillary ruling requesting that the State Police launch criminal proceedings against former Trasta komercbanka board member Viktors Ziemelis for allegedly giving false testimony in court.
Rimšēvičs and Martinsons deny their guilt.
Rimšēvičs and Martinsons were detained by the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) in February 2018. The Prosecutor General’s Office charged Rimšēvičs with accepting bribes and Martinsons with aiding and abetting bribery.
Rimšēvičs was accused of accepting a bribe consisting of a paid leisure trip and money. He was also charged with money laundering.
The prosecutor overseeing the case, Viorika Jirgena, previously said that KNAB opened the case following complaints from two representatives of Trasta komercbanka. Both appear in the case as bribe-givers but were exempted from criminal liability because they voluntarily approached law enforcement authorities with information about the alleged offence. LETA understands that the two individuals were former Trasta komercbanka board member Ziemelis and former shareholder Igors Buimisters, who has since died.
Jirgena previously said that in 2010 one of the bank’s shareholders approached Rimšēvičs seeking assistance with matters involving the Financial and Capital Market Commission (FKTK), offering him a paid leisure trip to Kamchatka in return.
In 2012, the same shareholder, together with another person, again approached Rimšēvičs seeking assistance with other matters involving the FKTK. Rimšēvičs allegedly demanded EUR 500,000 in return, to be paid in two instalments — one before and one after the FKTK’s decision.
The prosecutor previously stressed that following the 2010 agreement, Rimšēvičs repeatedly provided advice to the Trasta komercbanka shareholder, thereby seeking to influence FKTK decisions. Similar consultations were also provided following the 2012 agreement. Although Rimšēvičs allegedly succeeded in influencing the FKTK to adopt decisions that appeared favourable to Trasta komercbanka, other decisions taken at the same time were unfavourable to the bank.
As one example of the assistance allegedly provided by Rimšēvičs, the prosecutor cited help in preparing responses to questions raised by the FKTK concerning the bank’s liquidity and non-resident clients.
Jirgena also explained that Rimšēvičs did not fully accomplish what had been requested of him, and therefore only the first instalment of EUR 250,000 was paid.
According to the prosecutor, Martinsons acted as an intermediary in the alleged offence and received 10% of the total bribe. The prosecutor added that the bribe was paid in cash.
The amended charges against both Rimšēvičs and Martinsons also include the laundering of EUR 250,000 in criminal proceeds.
The Prosecutor General’s Office alleges that Rimšēvičs used the EUR 250,000 bribe to purchase real estate in the name of a company, with the then Governor of the Bank of Latvia secretly becoming a co-owner of the property.
Proceedings have also been initiated against the company seeking the application of a coercive measure because the alleged money laundering was carried out in the interests of that legal entity. The charge relates to a transaction in which MM investīcijas, a company officially owned by Martinsons, purchased a property at 2 Baznīcas Street in Jūrmala.
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