Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has recovered EUR 120,000 in a bribery case involving a Latvian company attempting to bribe a Lithuanian official, LSM reports. The individual was prosecuted in Lithuania, while KNAB held the Latvian company liable through local courts. The unnamed company had tried to bribe the commander of the Lithuanian…
Estonia ranked best and Latvia worst in the Baltic States on Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index, LSM reported. Estonia ranked 12th out of 180 countries worldwide in 2023, which was up from 14th place in 2022. Lithuania ranked 34th (33rd) and Latvia 36th (39th). Estonia scored 76 points on the index in 2023, which…
Ukraine’s National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK) has added Lithuanian fish processor Viciunai Group to its list of “International Sponsors of War,” BNS reports. NAZK stated that Viciunai Group has continued production and hiring at its plant in Russia’s Kaliningrad region even after announcing that it was exiting Russia. Viciunai Group declined to comment on…
Latvia’s Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS), which is part of the country’s current coalition government, will continue to cooperate with former Ventspils mayor Aivars Lembergs despite him having been sentenced to prison for corruption, LSM reports. Harijs Rokpelnis, chairman of the ZZS parliamentary group, pointed out that the court verdict had not entered into…
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…
The Latvian parliament, the Saeima, has elected MP Daiga Mierina of the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) as its new speaker, LSM reports. She replaces United List’s Edvards Smiltens. Mierina was only elected at the fourth ballot after the two front-runners for the post, Gunars Kutris of ZZS and United List’s Maris Sprindzuks, were…
Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has searched the offices of the municipal administration in Valmiera, LSM reports. KNAB detained Valmiera’s mayor, Janis Baiks, and other officials as part of the criminal investigation. The officials and representatives of several companies are suspected of misappropriating more than EUR 4mn of funds from the European Regional…
Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, should have resigned over a scandal involving her husband’s business ties with Russia, President Alar Karis stated, ERR reports. Speaking after a meeting with the leaders of parliamentary parties, Karis said that he would personally have preferred to see Kallas resign for the sake of the government’s effectiveness and Estonia’s…
Latvia’s New Unity will form a new coalition government with the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS) and the Progressives, New Unity’s prime minister candidate, Evika Silina, announced, LSM reports. Silina said that the Latvian parliament, the Saeima, could possibly vote on endorsing the new government on 15 September 2023. The new coalition would have…