Criminal charges were presented to three suspects in the case regarding the murder of insolvency administrator and advocate Mārtiņš Bunkus, as reported by Riga Court District Prosecution Office prosecutor Aldis Lasmanis on Thursday, the 8th of December.
Two persons are accused of ordering a murder. One person is also accused of supporting a murder.
The person who took the shot that killed Bunkus is among the people presented with criminal charges. No charges were raised against the one who ordered the kill, because he died a violent death.
Criminal proceedings against one more suspect were terminated because investigators found no evidence of this person supporting the crime. Police also failed to identify the person who was the driver for the group.
Police also report that a total of EUR 50 million was arrested during the investigation. Police interviewed 300 people and interrogated 200.
As previously reported, police recently handed the case to the prosecution office. Four persons were identified as suspects in this criminal proceeding – three Latvian and one Russian citizen. Police explained that the investigation helped put together an accurate picture of what happened, who committed the crime, as well as the role each member of the group played. The case consists of 121 volumes.
1974-born Russian citizen is presented with charges of aggravated murder in an organised group, illegal circulation of a firearm, essential components of a firearm, ammunition, disclosure of information obtained in pre-trial criminal proceedings without permission from an investigator or a prosecutor.
1961-born businessman Aleksandrs Banenko is accused of aggravated murder, instigation and aiding and abetting of murder.
1953-born businessman Mihails Ulmans is accused of instigation of murder and aggravated murder in an organised group.
1970-born Arkadijs Judins is accused of aggravated homicide in an organised group.
Three suspects – Russian citizen, Babenko and Ulmans – are under arrest. Judins is applied with a security measure that does not involve deprivation of freedom.
In addition to this criminal procedure authorities decided to open up two more – one on large-scale money laundering, in an organized group, and the other – on offences against the economy. The investigation continues.
International cooperation and information exchange played a major role in the investigation of the murder of the insolvency administrator. Support from Europol, in particular, contributed a great deal to the investigation, police say.
Ulmans and Babenko are former business partners.
Uļman’s name was previously mentioned by representatives of Bunkus’ family in relation to the murder. In 2016 Bunkus himself turned to the police after receiving death threats. This case, however, was terminated later.
In 2016 Ulmans and the insolvency administrator argued over the insolvency case involving Rego Trade LLC. Bunkus, as the company’s insolvency administrator, enforced more than EUR 1 million from Ulmans and other formed board members of the company.
Bunkus was shot in the morning on the 30th of 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.