Ždanoka appeared late on Monday for a press conference she herself had convened and cited a visit to the VDD as a reason.
“I had been summoned to the State Security Service at ten o'clock in the morning by investigator Buls. He didn't want to part with me in any way,“ Ždanoka told reporters at the start of the press conference. She said she signed a commitment not to disclose the contents of the conversation.
On Friday, Miroslavs Mitrofanovs, co-chairman of the Latvian Russian Union (LKS), was also invited to the VDD, the politician confirmed to De Facto.
He noted that he did not go there as part of criminal proceedings, but simply “to talk.”
VDD is currently assessing information on Ždanoka's possible cooperation with Russian special services and evaluating the activities of the LKS.
Ždanoka rose to fame across Europe two weeks ago. Insider, Re: Baltica and other media published separate emails from Ždanoka's correspondence with Russian citizens, who are believed to be employees of the Russian Federal Security Bureau.
Investigators in Latvia are tied in part by the fact that the published correspondence of Ždanoka is mostly older than 2016. Criminal liability for assisting a foreign state in an anti-Latvia activity came into effect only in 2016.
Interior Minister Rihards Kozlovskis (New Unity) explained that the VDD has competence to assess whether the activities of Ždanoka comply with the articles of the criminal law.
“If there are signs of a criminal offense, I undoubtedly believe the VDD will take action,” Kozlovskis said.
The European Parliament passed a resolution on Thursday expressing outrage at Russia's efforts to undermine democracy in Europe and expressing concern that Ždanoka may have acted as an informer to the Fifth Administration of the Federal Security Service. The resolution also stresses the need for the European Parliament and the Latvian authorities to examine the issue thoroughly.
