Riga, Nov. 9, LETA. The prosecutor’s office has indicted the former director of Ventspils sports school “Spars” Viktor Zujev, during whom a four-year-old boy drowned in the pool in 2017.
Without mentioning the person’s name, Aiga Eiduka, the press secretary of the prosecutor’s office, told LETA that today the prosecutor of the Ventspils prosecutor’s office has made a decision accusing one person of illegal criminal killing under Article of the Criminal Law. For such criminal offenses, the law provides for imprisonment for up to five years or forced labor.
Prosecutions are currently underway and proceedings are underway, so no further comments will be provided in order not to prejudice further investigations.
On October 4, 2017, a four-year-old boy died in a small swimming pool in the small swimming pool of Ventspils Water Adventure Park. Latvian Television previously, referring to unofficial information, reported that the dead boy had asked for permission to go to the toilet during the lesson, which he had also received. Returning from the facilities, the boy jumped into the pool without seeing the coach. The fact that something is under the deep end of the pool was later told by another participant, a four-year-old girl.
Zujev, who led the specific swimming training session for children, was also the director of Ventspils Sports School. Later, the director of Spars himself wanted to terminate his employment.
The State Education Quality Service (IKVD) at that time announced that the Ventspils Olympic Center had implemented an unlicensed interest education program. At the time, the center stated that the IKVD’s assertion that the center had conducted unlicensed swimming education was misleading.
“At that time, we were analyzing the implementers of the process, which at the time was a company that was in principle neither registered as an educational institution nor licensed. At that time, we started administrative proceedings and called the head of the company administratively, personal “stated Juris Zīvarts, Director of the IKVD Supervision Department.
SIA “Olimpiskais centrs” Ventspils “writes in a press release today that the center has cooperated in good faith with the State Police during the investigation and has provided all the necessary information and documentation for further progress of the case.
Zujevs Olympic Center “Ventspils” terminated his employment with a swimming instructor in October 2017 and, according to the information available to the company, Zujevs no longer lives in Ventspils.
Ventspils City Municipality points out that the City Council and the Center have not ignored this accident at any time. At the end of 2017, safety issues were assessed in detail by attracting specialists, including the Latvian Swimming Federation. “Ventspils” and Ventspils City Council highlighted the need to develop common rules for swimming lessons at the national level.
A number of safety improvement measures have been implemented in the Ventspils Basin, including the development of new internal regulations, video surveillance, the recruitment of several lifeguards to ensure continuous monitoring of swimmers, the installation of a swimming pool marked with depth markings, warning signs and other work.
After the accident, swimming lessons for children were resumed in 2018 and are led by certified and experienced trainers.
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