At the beginning of this year, LETA assured the KNAB agency that the fulfillment of requests for legal assistance is still the main reason why the investigation in the case continues. KNAB admitted at the time that it was still waiting for information from law enforcement agencies in China and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China.
The criminal process was started in connection with three procurements made by “Rīgas satiksme” – for the procurement of low-floor trams in 2016, the total amount of which was 62,597,477 euros, the procurement of trolleybuses in 2013, the total amount of which was 131,646,135 euros, as well as The procurement for the delivery of buses made in 2013, the total amount of which was 75,808,297 euros. Bribery of officials and laundering of proceeds of crime were investigated in the criminal trial.
In this case, the former chairman of the board of “Rīgas satiksme” Leons Bemhens, an official of the tram and trolleybus manufacturer “Škoda Transportation” Vladislavs Kozaks, businessman Māris Martinsons, businessman Edgars Teterovskis, his spouse and the now liquidated company “Tram Servis Riga” that Kozak once managed were involved in this case. to board member Elina Kokina.
The long-time member of the “Honor to serve Riga” party, businessman Aleksandrs Kryacheks and the former director of the Infrastructure Maintenance and Development Department of “Rīgas satiksme” Igors Volkinšteins, were also involved in the case, but they have already passed away.
Detentions and arrests in this case took place at the end of 2018. Some of the arrested persons in the case were later released on bail, while the rest were released without bail. The total amount of bail was 870,000 euros.
From the previously informed KNAB about the criminal proceedings of “Rīgas satiksmi” it follows that it was started because, possibly, representatives of Czech and Polish companies, in agreement with the responsible officials of Riga City Council and “Rīgas satiksme”, as well as representatives of a company related to “Rīgas satiksmi” , attracted a natural person and persons related to him for the implementation of criminal activities. These persons were probably engaged in the legalization of criminally obtained funds and ensured the financial flow by attracting both real and fictitious companies, thus ensuring the payment of bribes to the responsible officials of the Riga City Council and “Rīgas satiksme” in connection with three procurements.
KNAB also stated that in the criminal proceedings initiated by the office, the possible sums of bribes were a percentage of the total amount of the concluded contract.
In TV3’s program “Neka peresika” it was previously claimed that an average of 5-7% was paid in bribes for each trolleybus, bus and tram delivered to Riga. The total amount of the three purchases exceeds 270 million euros, so 13.5-20 million euros could have been paid in bribes.
These transactions were also investigated in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Tags: KNAB decided terminate criminal case procurement Riga traffic vehicles Diena
