Latvian Radio reported November 26 on continuing efforts to counter what appears to be a thriving black market in fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates in Latvia.
Crime
Lithuanian border guards in the Lazdijai district near the Polish border have detained a Latvian citizen who has taken four migrants from Latvia to Poland in his car, the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service has announced, LSM's Latvian language service reports.
Three healthcare workers in Sigulda have been detained on suspicion of providing or receiving fake Covid-19 certificates. Crinimal proceedings have been initiated, the State Police (VP) said November 17.
A Latvian-based company that may have been used to launder tens of millions of dollars has had its operations suspended following its sanctioning by the United States, LTV reported.
Latvia's state-owned postal delivery service, Latvijas Pasts (LP) has issued a second warning about criminals attempting to defraud people by means of bogus postal delivery notifications.
The Collegiate of Criminal Justice of Riga District Court found Niks Endziņš guilty of inciting ethnic hatred in connection with his entries on Facebook to "eliminate the Chinese", LETA reported November 4.
Two years on from receiving a list of 44 recommendations from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Working Group on Bribery in International Business Transactions (OECD WGB), Latvia has fully implemented 16 recommendations, partially implemented 19 recommendations, and did not implement 9 recommendations, according to the latest review of progress.
State JSC Latvijas Pasts (Latvian Post) warns about the current activity of fraudsters on Whatsapp and other social networks, LP said in a statement November 2.
The State Police has closed the criminal proceedings which were initiated when a 29-year-old man died after sustaining serious burns, chief of State Police Armands Ruks told Latvian Television November 1.
In Gulbene district, a driver blew up his car during a police inspection, injuring two police officers, and then attempted to steal the police vehicle and escape with it, the State Police (VP) informed LETA October 30.
Rīgans were treated to an unusual sight October 28 when an 'iceberg', resembling a large scoop of vanilla ice cream, was towed along the chocolate-flavored River Daugava as part of an anti-corruption publicity campaign.
Following the April 28 tragic fire that claimed the lives of nine people in an illegally run hostel in Rīga, Merķeļa Street 8, a total of more than 20 illegal hostels have been closed in the city, Latvian Television reported October 28.
There are relatively few curfew offenders so far, fewer than last winter, State Police chief Armands Ruks said on Latvian Television October 25.
This week, police detained four persons in Riga Region on suspicion of falsifying Covid-19 vaccination certificates, including a family physician, the LETA news agecy reported October 23.
Law enforcement initiated 228 administrative infringement proceedings regarding the failure to comply with Covid-19 restrictions on the first night of curfew, State Police said October 22.
The Saeima will soon view amendments to the Criminal Law that provide for criminal liability regarding the purchase of a fake vaccination, testing or recovery certificate, Latvian Radio reported October 21.
Law enforcement officers have recently detained a group of four more people suspected of being involved in a sham vaccination against Covid-19 at a medical institution in Rīga, LSM's Latvian language service reports.
Two persons are still charged with a criminal offense in the case of the tragic fire in an illegal hostel on Merķeļa Street, newswire LETA reported October 13.
State Police said October 13 a series of raids in Kuldīga had resulted in the seizure of guns, ammunition, contraband cogarettes and alcohol.
A new investigation by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) based on leaked documents claims a company spun off from collapsed Latvian bank ABLV "went on to cut deals with dozens of politically sensitive clients to help them recover their frozen funds".
If further proof was needed that mastering the Latvian language is no easy matter, it is now available courtesy of a drunken hooligan who came off second best in a clash with a letter of the alphabet.
Annulment of counterfeit Covid-19 certificates is going at a slow pace, Latvian Television reported September 30.
An Iraqi national, who crossed the Belarusian-Latvian border, was deported after trying to enter Finland in the trunk of a car from Estonia, reports ERR News in Estonia.
Pensioner Dzidra Bruzgule from Viļāni district, has still to receive a promised compensation payment three years after her harmless hemp crop was destroyed by police.
Latvia's financial regulator, the Financial and Capital Market Commission (FKTK), has repeated a warning about fraudsters, who make phone calls to randomly selected inhabitants of Denmark, Italy and France posing as employees of FKTK, the State Revenue Service of the Republic of Latvia, Financial Intelligence Unit of Latvia or other state institutions.
On September 20, the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) urged the Prosecutor's Office to press criminal charges against former Governor of the Bank of Latvia Ilmārs Rimšēvičs and businessman Uģis Tabors for allegedly pressing a witness to give false testimony, Latvian Television reports.
Latvia's criminal justice system has a reputation for being extremely slow-moving, with several high profile cases lasting many years.
Latest data from European Union statistical agency Eurostat shows Latvia leading the EU for the number of homicides per head of population.
Latvia has more than 400 police officers per 100,000 of population, well above the European Union average, according to data published by Eurostat September 6.
Intensive guarding of the Latvian-Belarusian border has not stopped cigarette smuggling, Latvian Television broadcast “De Facto” reported September 5.