Latvia: Aivars Lembergs sentenced to four years in prison

Latvia’s Riga Regional Court has sentenced former Ventspils mayor Aivars Lembergs to four years in prison and confiscation of property, LSM reports. The second-instance court found Lembergs guilty of taking bribes, money laundering, unauthorised participation in a property transaction, and falsification of documents. At the same time, the court acquitted him of charges of concealing property, making decisions while in a conflict of interest, and abusing his official position. Also, the court reduced the prison sentences of Aivars Lembergs’s son, Anrijs Lembergs, and former business partner Ansis Sormulis, with confiscation of property, LETA reports. Litigation in the case began in 2009. In the parliamentary election in 2022, the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) designated Lembergs as the party’s candidate for prime minister.