Latvian political party Par!/Progresīvie faction leader reports receiving large bribe offer

Latvian Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) intends to ask the office of the prosecutor to raise charges against a business manager for offering a EUR 2.1 million bribe to a deputy of Riga City Council, reports KNAB.
The EUR 2.1 million bribe was offered to Par!/Progresīvie faction leader Mārtiņš Kossovičs.
Kossovičs confirmed the fact of the bribery attempt to the media yesterday, 15 December.
The bureau reports that on 13 December KNAB asked the Prosecution Office for Investigation of Public Office Holders Misconduct Offences to commence criminal prosecution of a private person for a possible bribery attempt of a state official.
KNAB also asked the office of the prosecutor to continue process of imposing coercive measures against a legal person in the interest of which the bribe attempt was committed.
Evidence acquired by KNAB in the pre-trial investigation points that a private person, as a board chairman of a joint stock company, offered a EUR 2.1 million bribe to a deputy of Riga City Council,
so that the private person’s represented company would win in a concession contest and take over management of a building from another building management company.
KNAB also found during the investigation that the private person told the official about making conditions of the procurement beneficial towards the private person’s represented company.
Chief of KNAB Jēkabs Straume: «Bribery is a serious crime. This is why the legislator has made it clear – criminal liability for bribery is possible both the moment the bribe is physically handed over and the moment the bribe is offered. In such cases it is important for officials to keep in mind the main steps to be taken: refuse, but not outright and not immediately, ask for some time to think and then contact KNAB. I am happy the official decided in favour of cooperating with KNAB, because this decision is proof of trust.»
By sending materials of the criminal case to the office of the prosecutor KNAB thereby concludes its pre-trial investigation.
KNAB reports that this is the second criminal case regarding bribery of a Riga City Council official to have been successfully investigated over the course of the last month.