De Facto cited unofficial information about a new investigation into Rimšēvičs' affairs about a year ago, but he denied it. Asked in February 2022 whether he had also testified in the case of a possible purchase of a Covid-19 certificate or had purchased one himself, Rimšēvičs replied: “I have not.”
At the end of last year, the case from the State Police came to the prosecutor's office, which De Facto confirmed: the case is about giving an illegal benefit to a person to commit illegal activity, and the use of a possibly falsified document. Shortly afterward, charges were brought against Rimšēvičs.
Asked to comment, Rimšēvičs said: “Not issued to me, I know nothing like that!”
Rimšēvičs then added: “I can tell you everything, but you won't put anything in [the broadcast], you know? That's the problem. [..] Well, let us finish it [the proceedings] and then let us think. There are no comments at this time.”
Rimšēvičs' lawyer Normunds Duļevskis also replied that he could not comment on the issue.
In his ongoing cases, Rimšēvičs has been accused of accepting bribes from the shareholders of Trasta komercbanka, which has been shut down by regulators. As reported at the time by LSM, Rimšēvičs' detention by anti-corruption officers in 2018 caused an international sensation. He refused to step down from his position and has consistently denied his guilt. Rimšēvičs also claimed for the recovery of unpaid salary for the period from February 2018 to February 2019, which the court rejected.
