The prosecution office reports that on Wednesday, the 26th of April, the criminal case regarding the murder of insolvency administrator Mārtiņš Bunkus was submitted to court. Three persons are suspects in the case.
Police submitted the case to the prosecution office at the end of November 2022. It lists four suspects – three Latvian and once Russian citizen. Among the suspects are businessmen Aleksandrs Babenko and Mihails Uļmans. One of them is accused of ordering a murder, the other – for supporting it.
Charges are also presented to the person who fired the gun that killed Bunkus – this person is a 1974-born Russian citizen Viktors Krivošejs. Police caught the man in Latvia. He is accused of carrying a firearm and ammunition without a permit. The man is put under arrest.
No charges are presented against the organiser of the crime, as he died a violent death himself.
TV3 programme Nekā personīga reported that this man is once a member of Ivans Haritonovs’ group Genādijs Vaļagins. He was shot dead in March 2022. The criminal procedure against 1970-born Arkadijs Judins was ended because authorities found no evidence of him supporting this crime.
According to Riga Court District Prosecutor Aldis Lasmanis, the pre-trial criminal procedure was done effectively without delays. The case was submitted to court quickly in order to ensure a fair process. The prosecutor did not comment if the motive behind the murder was related to the Rego Trade LLC insolvency case, in which Bunkus was the insolvency administrator.
Bunkus was shot dead in his car near Riga Forest Cemetery in the morning on the 30th May 2018. Shortly after the murder police found a burned down car bearing a forged registration place not far from the crime scene.
Bunkus’ relatives told the press they are concerned the accused will try to influence the court and avoid responsibility for the crime.
“At the court hearing during which authorities decided on the preservation of the security measure on Uļmans and Babenko it was clear the ones who ordered and the ones who supported the crime are prepared to use all possible ways to avoid responsibility for this crime,” said the brother of the victim Kristaps Bunkus.
Also read: Foundation assumes suspects in Bunkus’ murder may try to interfere with trial