In the event of re-election, the prosecutor’s office could once again appeal to the EP with a proposal to revoke Ushakov’s parliamentary immunity

On May 10, 2023, KNAB handed over the criminal proceedings to the General Prosecutor’s Office, in which they obtained sufficient evidence that four former officials of the Riga City Council and its capital company, as well as one natural person, guided by greedy goals, generated income for the minibus passenger transportation company, part of which was repayable as a regular bribe in cash to two former senior officials of the Riga City Council, KNAB informed.

As a result of the criminal offenses, the municipality and its capital company suffered a property loss of more than 10 million euros.

The evidence obtained in the KNAB investigation shows that the former chairman of the Riga City Council and his deputy, using their position as leading officials of the municipality, demanded a large bribe from a natural person – the intermediate owner of the minibus passenger transportation company.

The investigation revealed that the former chairman of the Riga City Council, his deputy and the intermediary owner of the general company agreed on the necessary actions to implement bribery.

The agreement provided for making changes in the regulatory acts, so that the general company could receive payments from the Riga City Council through its capital companies for the transportation of passengers with reduced fares, and 30% of these revenues to be paid monthly in cash as a bribe to the chairman of the Riga City Council and his deputy. The general partnership and its members earned such additional income from May 2018 to April 2020.

In order to achieve amendments to the regulatory acts, two other officials of the municipality’s capital company prepared and provided the decision makers with false information about the validity of granting fare concessions and the impact on the economic interests of the municipality and its capital company.

The persons involved in the criminal offense were aware of the illegality of the introduction of fare concessions and the creation of losses for the Riga City Council and its capital company. As a result of the criminal offences, severe consequences have been caused – the municipality and its capital company have suffered a property loss of more than 10 million euros.

KNAB has initiated the initiation of criminal prosecution against four former state officials and one natural person, as well as to continue the coercive measures application processes initiated during the pre-trial investigation against four legal entities in whose interests the criminal offenses were carried out.

On February 13, 2023, KNAB separated this criminal process from the criminal process started in 2019.