Back in July it was reported that Latvian State Police officers had detained five persons in connection with a suspected plot to murder a police officer. One of those detained was Artjoms Babenko, the son of Aleksandrs Babenko, who is himself already on trial in the high-profile case accused of the murder of lawyer Mārtiņš Bunkus.
In a move that surprised many – given the gravity of both cases – two weeks ago, a court decided to release Babenko junior from custody. Consequently, he promptly left the country and is currently believed to be in Belarus, according to De Facto.
It appears Babenko has not broken any bail rules by skipping out as he left before other security measures such as a ban on leaving the country had been put in place.
Babenko's lawyer Egons Rusanovs says that his client went to Belarus to meet his wife.
"Returning to his place of residence in Priedkalne, Artjoms found that his wife was not there, he found out that she was staying with her parents in Russia, moreover, it should be noted that the house was completely ransacked after the search. The window was broken, the door was broken and so on. When communicating with his spouse, they wanted to meet as soon as possible, and they decided to meet in Minsk," lawyer Rusanovs said of his client's departure from Latvia.
Current travel advice from the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is for Latvian citizens not to visit aggressor states Russia and Belarus.
The lawyer claims that Babenko sought medical help in Belarus and was hospitalized, saying he has previously had problems with blood pressure, heart issues and diabetes.
At the beginning of September, however, Babenko is expected to attend an interview with the police in Latvia.
"Artyom Babenko received a summons to his e-mail address, and on September 3, if there are no extraordinary additional circumstances, of course he will come and participate in the investigation," his lawyer said.
Meanwhile, judge Aina Nicmane, who issued the decision to release Babenko from detention, went on vacation immediately after issuing the decision.
It is a vacation that lasts until the end of October, after which she will not continue her career as a judge, noted De Facto. Back in March the Saeima agreed she could end her career as a judge at the end of October.
Whether Babenko returns for a meeting with police officers remains to be seen. Those surprised by the decision to release him from detention might be less surprised if, for example, his health status might be put forward as requiring an extended stay beyond Latvian jurisdiction in Belarus.
Both Babenkos deny plotting to murder anyone.
