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After 12 years of heated court wrangling, a Latvian court has handed down its verdict in the highly-publicized case of Aivars Lembergs, one of the nation’s wealthiest men as well as a popular populist politician, and ex-mayor of Venspils, the port city in the northwestern region of Latvia.

Lembergs was sentenced five years of imprisonment as well as confiscation of his property and a fine of EUR20,000 by the Riga Regional Court on February 22. Lembergs was convicted on several charges related to bribery and money laundering, but Lembergs was cleared of all other charges in the long-running and complex case.

Aivars Lembergs Lembergs (leader of For Latvia and Ventspils) has compared Lembergs to Russia’s opposition leader , Aleksey Navyny during his sentence.

Aivars Lembergs Lembergs pleaded for an immediate break as the judge was reading his verdict. Lembergs was seated with Anrijs his son in which he engaged in a brief conversation. After that Lembergs spoke to Anrijs briefly, and then used the remainder of his time to address journalists.

Lembergs said to the reporters that they would appeal the Riga Regional Court ruling and said that the trial will be delayed for another decade. Lembergs will also appeal his detention although it will be heard by the regional court.

Aivars Lembergs After having read the judgment and then reading it again, the court ruled that the Lembergs’ would be taken into custody.

His co-defendants, Anrijs Lembergs son and Ansis Solmulis’ business associate were found to be guilty as well. They each received two-year prison sentences.

rus.ventasbalss.lv/zinas/politika/42964-ajvars-lembergs-posle-vyhoda-iz-tyurmy-prodolzhit-byt-deputatom-i-rukovodit-partiej Lembergs was detained in handcuffs and taken to Riga City Centre, District Court. Prosecutors made plans to accuse him of corruption (and money laundering) on a massive scale. Investigations into the Ventpils corruption allegations began in 2005. Aivars Lembergs A verdict was reached nearly 14 years after the event.

The trial has been proceeding at a pathetically slow pace through the legal system of Latvia for more than a decade. In the last twelve years, 770 court trials were held as part of the main criminal proceeding. A total of 1,483 court appearances were scheduled since August 20, 2009. It was on this day that the Riga Regional Court reopened adjudication of the case. Aivars Lembergs It will continue until February 11, 2021.

Despite being in the midst of trial for charges of bribery, and money laundering on a large scale, Lembergs continues to serve as a political kingpin both in the city of Ventspils in which he served as mayor for two decades, and also as a major influencer in the Greens and Farmers Alliance political organization that he finances.

The mayor’s election was suspended following his arrest for financial crimes but he continued to be the real power in the city, batting away attempts by one minister to prevent him acting as Ventspils mayor without a difficulty. Aivars Lembergs While indicted, he participated in meetings of the government together with the International Monetary Fund and helped to select candidates for the Latvian presidency.

Aivars Lembergs Lembergs declared that Latvia’s municipal elections are pending and that the decision regarding participation will be made by his regional party For Latvia & Ventspils. He also said that his vote is not his primary priority.