The Office for the Prevention and Combating of Corruption (KNAB) has encouraged the Prosecutor General’s Office to initiate criminal proceedings against former Prosecutor General Eriks Kalnmeiers for disclosing undisclosed information.
Not to mention the names of the persons, the KNAB confirmed to LETA that on Tuesday the bureau handed over the materials of the criminal case to the Prosecutor General’s Office, urging to initiate criminal prosecution against one former and one existing Prosecutor General’s Office for possible violation of Section 329 of the Criminal Law.
The office has also indicted a natural person for allegedly giving false testimony.
The specific criminal case is separated from the criminal proceedings previously initiated by the KNAB.
KNAB, by sending the materials of the criminal case to the Prosecutor General’s Office, concludes the relevant pre-trial investigation. From now on, the prosecutor’s office is responsible for the progress of the criminal case, said the office.
KNAB also drew attention to the fact that no person is considered guilty until their guilt in committing a criminal offense is established in accordance with the procedures prescribed by law.
The press secretary of the Prosecutor’s Office Laura Majevska confirmed to the agency LETA that on Monday he received information from the KNAB about a security measure – a ban on applying for positions to one of the chief prosecutors of the structural unit of the General Prosecutor’s Office. Taking into account the above, on Tuesday the Prosecutor General Juris Stukāns has made a decision to suspend the Chief Prosecutor from office. The name of the official was not disclosed by the prosecutor’s office.
Majevska pointed out that the case had been received on Tuesday and in accordance with the procedure prescribed by law, the prosecutor of the Investigation Division of Extremely Important Cases will decide on the prosecution of persons within ten days.
Commenting on the situation as a whole, Stukāns pointed out that each institution performs its functions specified by law. He also emphasizes that violations of the law are incompatible with the performance of the duties of a prosecutor.
LETA has not been able to contact the Mining Agency at the moment. In turn, he indicated to Latvian Television that he did not provide any comments on anything.
Unofficial information at the disposal of Latvian Television shows that KNAB Kalnmeieru is being prosecuted in connection with a leak in a criminal case involving Jelgava Prosecutor Zinaīda Egle, in which KNAB is investigating the organization of bribery, bribery and disclosure of undisclosed information.
Latvian Television is unofficially aware that shortly before the end of his term of office, Kalnmeiers disclosed information about procedural activities related to the Egle case to several prosecutors, one of whom – Chief Prosecutor of the Methodology Department Elita Jurkjāne – passed it on to his wife Juris Jurkjāns. Through her, the information has reached the lawyer Ieva Cīrule, who together with the prosecutor Egli figures in the bribery episode of this process.
Lawyer Cīrule told Latvijas Televīze that it is not possible to provide any information at the moment. Her lawyer Saulvedis Vārpiņš also emphasized that she had signed documents on non-disclosure of information, so she could not answer questions.
Lawyer Juris Jurkjāns and Chief Prosecutor Jurkjāne also said that they would not provide any comments.
Meanwhile, the new Prosecutor General Stukāns confirmed to Latvian Television that the Chief Prosecutor Jurkjāne has a suitable security measure that prevents her from holding her current position during the investigation and she has been suspended from it.
The criminal law on the disclosure of undisclosed information, which is not a state secret, provides for imprisonment for a term of up to one year or with temporary imprisonment, or with forced labor, or with a fine.
The prosecutor’s office will now have to decide whether to prosecute. The law allows the prosecutor’s office to agree with the accused on the sentence, to make a decision on the termination of the criminal case, or to return the case to the KNAB with instructions on the need for additional investigation.
On July 11, the term of office of the Prosecutor General of Kalnmeier expired, and he was replaced by the new Prosecutor General Juris Stukāns.
Kalnmeier has been the Prosecutor General since 2010. Prior to that, he held the position of Chief Prosecutor of the Criminal Division of the Criminal Justice Department of the General Prosecutor’s Office. After leaving the position of the Prosecutor General, Kalnmeiers no longer works in the Prosecutor’s Office.
As reported, in July it became known that the KNAB is conducting criminal proceedings for organizing bribery, bribery, incitement to disclose undisclosed information and disclosure of undisclosed information. The office previously stated that it had “a prosecutor involved”.
It is currently publicly known that the prosecutor of the Jelgava Prosecutor’s Office involved in the case is Egle.
Spruce has been suspended from performing his duties because a security measure has been applied to him – a ban on performing his duties.
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