The City of Riga Vidzeme District Court has indefinitely postponed the hearing of the criminal case of Jānis Ādamsons, the Saeima deputy, who is being accused of spying, because the judge of the case, Zigmunds Dundurs, has been transferred to another court.
The time of the next court hearing will be known after a new judge is appointed to hear the case.
The City of Riga Vidzeme District Court said that judge Dundurs has been transferred to the Riga Regional Court, and this is connected with his career growth.
The prosecutor’s office previously informed that Adamson is charged under three articles of the Criminal Law – espionage, fraud on a small scale and purchase and storage of firearms ammunition without a relevant permit.
The deputy is accused of small–scale fraud related to compensation of fuel–related costs. The total amount is about EUR 100. Authorities also found several dozen firearm cartridges during a search in the deputy’s home.
Regarding possible espionage, the information that is available to the agency LETA, shows the law enforcement officers suspected Ādamson of over 40 episodes.
Saiema deputy is suspected of collecting and providing information to Russia for the last four years. According to unofficial information, he collected and provided different publicly available documents – law amendments, information about military procurements and budget, eastern border infrastructure, information about the Baltic Assembly’s stance on Nord Stream 2, etc. It is also believed he may have used his computer in the parliament to pass on sensitive data.
RUSSIAN CITIZEN GENADIJ SILONOV IS ALSO ACCUSED IN THE CASE.
In the summer of 2021, Ādamson was detained by Latvia’s State Security Service (VDD) for spying. After his detention, the court ordered remand in custody, but last December Ādamsons was granted the opportunity to pay a bail of EUR 30,000 so that he could be set free. Bail was paid on January 5, 2022, and Adamson was released from custody. Now, the prosecutor has set additional security measures for the politician, including a limitation on the time of investigation and trial of the criminal process to fulfill the duties of the 13th Saeima member.
On December 9, 2021, the majority of the Saeima at the request of the General Prosecutor’s Office authorized the initiation of criminal prosecution against Adamson.
ĀDAMSONS, after the arrest, WITHDRAWN FROM THE political PARTY Saskaņa AND FROM THE SAIEMA FACTION OF THIS POLITICAL FORCE, BUT did not refuse from THE member of parliament MANDATE.
In the Saeima Ādamsons worked in the Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Committee, Submissions Committee and Baltic Affairs Sub-Committee. Although he did not have a state secret clearance, he had the right to participate in the meetings of the Saeima’s Defense, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention Commission, where officials present restricted information.
He also worked in multiple Saeima deputy groups. As a member of the parliament he worked in the work group in charge of cooperation with the Israeli Parliament, the Chinese Parliament and Belarusian Parliament. In January 2019 Ādamsons became the head of the group of deputies in charge of developing cooperation with the Russian parliament.
During the Soviet era Ādamsons held different posts in the USSR Navy. After the restoration of Latvia’s independence Ādamsons served as deputy commander of Latvian Navy and commander of the Border Guards Brigade. Later he entered politics.