Latvian police have successfully identified nearly all the people involved in the murder of insolvency administrator Mārtiņš Bunkus. On Tuesday, 24 May, police detained multiple persons, including the man who supposedly ordered the hit and the person who did the deed, as reported by State Police.
Police refrain from commenting on the exact number of people, their birth years and roles in the crime. The investigation continues.
Chief of State Police Criminal Investigations Office’s 1st Department Romāns Jašins said that this is one of the biggest ordered murder case to have caused such a high public resonance and attention from the community in the history of the police force.
Investigating cases of such a level under such intensive public interest is not a simple task
and often police refrain from reporting progress to avoid interfering with the investigation, said Jašins.
«But now the investigation has reached a point at which we can confidently say – efforts have paid off. We have determined nearly every person involved in the crime, from the person who ordered the hit, the one who organised it, and the one who did the deed. Today, 24 May, State Police performed successful arrests,» said Jašins.
The case is now based on the section of the Criminal Law regarding murder committed in especially aggravating circumstances by an organised group of people. This crime is punishable with life-long prison sentence or 15 to 20 years in prison.
Now that the investigation has entered the final stage and persons have been detained, police will focus on further procedures. This is why State Police are unable to provide more detailed information about the case or nuances of the investigation.
At the same time State Police Chief Armands Ruks points to the fact that the investigation has painted a clear picture of the crime and the people involved.
At the same time, police urge people who have information related to the case to provide it and cooperate with the police.
Bunkus was shot in the morning on 30 May 2018. He was shot in his car when passing Riga Forest Cemetery. Shortly after the murder police found a burned down car with a fake registration number plate not far from the scene of the crime.