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…
Estonia will terminate a legal assistance agreement with Russia, Justice Minister Kalle Laanet announced, ERR reports. The agreement primarily concerns cases under family and commercial law. Laanet noted that the Russian judicial system was political and untrustworthy. Russia made altogether 240 requests for legal assistance in 2022.
Lithuania’s Vilnius Regional Administrative Court has upheld an appeal annulling the Lithuanian Migration Department’s (LMD) decision to revoke the permanent residence permit of a Russian citizen on national security grounds, BNS reports. Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) found out that the applicant had worked at a prison colony in Sakhalin until 2002. However, the court…
Lithuania’s Supreme Court has rejected an appeal of French energy group Veolia and its Lithuanian partners against an unfavourable court ruling in their dispute with the Energy Ministry, Baltic News Network reports. Earlier, the Court of Appeal upheld a lower court decision to accept the ministry’s lawsuit for examination. Veolia and its partners, Vilniaus Energija…
The European Commission (EC) has criticised Estonia and Lithuania for failing to transpose an EU directive on the rights of child suspects properly into national legislation, BNS reports. The EC opened an infringement procedure by sending a formal notice for failure to transpose the EU directive on procedural safeguards for children suspected or accused of…
Estonia has extradited Russian citizen Vadim Konoshchenok, suspected employee of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), to the US, BNS reports. Konoshchenok was arraigned at a federal court in New York on 14 July 2023. He is suspected of violating sanctions by smuggling strictly regulated electronics and tactical ammunition of US origin from Estonia to Russia….
The Lithuanian Armed Forces (LGP) remain the country’s most trusted institution, according to a new Baltijos Tyrimai poll for LRT. The survey showed that 76% of respondents had confidence in LGP in June 2023. Another 71% trust the police, followed by the Catholic church with 66%, the president with 66%, the State Social Insurance Fund…
Lithuania’s Court of Appeal has upheld a ruling of the Vilnius Regional Court in the Energy Ministry’s case against French energy group Veolia, Baltic News Network reports. The court rejected appeals from Veolia, Vilniaus Energija, and Litesko against the Energy Ministry’s claim of EUR 240mn in compensation for damages caused to the state. The Court…