Businessman detained in Rīgas satiksme case released on €500,000 bail

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After posting bail April 3, businessman Māris Martinsons, who had been detained in connection with Rīgas Satiksme municipal transport company’s allegedly corrupt procurement deals, was released from Rīga Central Prison.

Martinsons’ lawyer Didzis Vilemsons declined to reveal the source of the money and said there would be no comments. He added, however, that his client will keep cooperating with investigators and provide testimonies after his release.

He also told members of the press that there are no other security measures imposed on Martinsons at the moment, and said that he believes there is not enough evidence to classify Martinsons as a suspect anymore.

Vilemsons also claimed that the Corruption Prevention Bureau has only been in contact with Martinsons once since he was initially taken into custody.

Meanwhile, Martinsons himself told members of the press after his released that the bail money came from ''private funds'', but did not specify in more detail. He refrained from answering any other questions.

The Rīga Vidzeme District Court set bail for Martinson’s release at €500,000 on April 3.

Under the Latvian law, bail can be posted by the suspect or any other individual or legal entity.

The Corruption Prevention Bureau has started a criminal case on three procurement tenders organized by Rigas Satiksme: 2016 tender to buy low-floor trams for a total of €62,597,477, 2013 tender to buy trolley-buses for a total of €131,646,135, and one more 2013 tender to buy buses worth €75,808,297. The criminal procedure investigates bribery and money laundering in relation to these procurement tenders.

At the beginning of December 2018, the Rīga City Vidzeme District Court ruled to remand six of the seven persons detained in connection with the case in custody. They include Aleksandrs Krjačeks, a businessman and long-standing member of Honor to Serve Riga party, Igors Volkinšteins, director of the Rīgas Satiksme infrastructure maintenance and development department, former Rigas Satiksme CEO Leons Bemhens, Vladislav Kozak, a manager of the Czech company Škoda Transportation, Martinsons and businessman Edgars Teterovskis.

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