Extraordinary scenes at the Ukraine-Hungary border have been released featuring one of Latvia's Honorary Consuls in Ukraine being dragged from his car after he refused to comply with requests to leave it by the normal method.
A Danish court on February 20 upheld a decision by the Danish Attorney General to overturn the planned extradition of Latvian citizen Kristīne Misāne to South Africa, clearing the way for her return to Latvia to face criminal charges in her homeland instead of on another continent.
A fire in the RERE Meistari workshop has destroyed historical interior details dating back to the 1930s from the New Castle in Sigulda, according to the State Inspection for Heritage Protection on February 19.
On February 15 border guards in the Krāslava area found illegally cut trees in the border zone, according to the State Border Guard on February 18.
On February 18, 2020 – six years and three months after the catastrophic collapse of a Maxima supermarket roof - the Rīga City Pārdaugava Court passed down its verdicts for the defendants in the Zolitūde tragedy criminal case.
Over the last four months a special unmarked police vehicle fitted with a 360 degree camera has been keeping an eye on the driving culture and violations of Rīga residents, and has already caught 1,600 offences on camera, according to the State Police on February 15.
The State Environmental Service (VDD) Liepāja Regional Environmental Administration inspectors once again discovered petroleum products in the River Venta in Kuldīga, according to the VDD on February 12.
The defendants in the Rīga's Children's Clinical University Hospital (BKUS) bribery case pleaded guilty at the Rīga City Pārdaugava Court and agreed to the penalties suggested by the Prosecutor's Office by signing an agreement on February 13, according to Latvian Television.
The extradition case concerning Latvian citizen Kristīne Misāne and the legal systems of Latvia, Denmark and South Africa has been extensively reported in Latvian media, including LSM, but until now comment from the South African side and specifically from Johann Grobler, the father of one of the children concerned, has been notable by its absence.
The Council for the Judiciary plans to identify problem factors and discussed ways to minimize issues with lengthy court proceedings in a February 10 meeting, according to Latvian Radio.
Five employees of the Rīga municipal housing management company “Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks” (RNP) have been arrested in connection to the ongoing fraud investigation, according to the State Police on February 4.
The security services of Latvia and Estonia on February 4 mounted a coordinated operation to counter what are believed to be attempts to evade international sanctions. Raids were carried out, including at media companies broadcasting Russian state-backed channels.
Authorities arrested Niks Endziņš, who has formerly been accused of spreading fake news, on February 2 for inciting national and ethnic hatred online, as well as for spreading fake news about the new Chinese coronavirus, according to the State Police on February 3.
Criminal proceedings, including conducting a company search on January 30, have begun against municipal housing management company “Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks” (RNP) in regards to large-scale organized fraud and money laundering, and two persons have been detained, including the “Liftu alianse” company owner Igors Babkins, according to Latvian Television on January 31.
Latvia's State Police on January 31 praised "excellent cooperation" with their Estonian counterparts as the two Baltic forces teamed up to catch a car thieves taking vehicles across the border.
In 2019 the State Police Economic Crimes Unit recorded a possible cyberattack on a Latvian education institution, and over the past two years, small and medium sized enterprises have been frequently the victims of these types of attacks, according to the State Police on January 29.
Four people have been detained and a further four are also believed involved in the criminal case on laundering at least EUR 50 million, during which searches were conducted at ABLV Bank January 28 LSM's Latvian language service reported January 29.
In December 2019 courts sentenced two people to five months in jail for tax evasion, and also took away their right to conduct business operations for two years, according to the Prosecutor's Office on January 27 in a signal that long-time tax debtors will no longer be able to dodge serious consequences for their actions.
While Latvian social media influencers still remain a long ways off from international influencers follower-wise, the growing industry is not being properly monitored and regulated, and as a result Latvian Instagram influencers are going unpunished for violating the Unfair Commercial Practices Prohibition Law, according to the Re:Baltica center for investigative journalism on January 20.
Latvia's dedicated anti-corruption force was in action January 28 with Latvian Television reporting a raid on the offices of ABLV bank, which is currently in liquidation.
Finnish national broadcaster YLE and news daily Iltalehti report that the trial has started in Helsinki of a neo-Nazi from Latvia who is accused of plotting to detonate a bomb at New Year celebrations in 2018.
Latvia's State Forests (LVM) finds increasing amounts of trash people have secretly dumped in forests, according to a Latvian Radio broadcast on January 17.
A petty theft court case from the early 1990s in which a 14-year-old boy is charged with stealing candy, including a Kinder Surprise chocolate egg, and electronics which are presumably now laughably obsolete, is still underway, according to Latvian Television’s “Panorāma” broadcast on January 14.
A demonstration a couple of dozen people strong gathered outside the Danish embassy in Rīga January 15 to ask the Danish authorities not to extradite Latvian citizen Kristīne Misāne to South Africa as part of a child custody battle.
Interior Minister Sandis Ģirģens (KPV LV) announced that after 40 years of service State Police Chief Ints Ķuzis will leave the force, according to LTV on January 15.
Criminal proceedings have begun against a woman who is accused of stealing cash and valuables while pretending to be a “Latvijas Gāze” (Latvian Gas) employee checking the gas meters, the Prosecution Office announced on January 13.
RIga Regional Court on January 13 rejected Ventspils Mayor Aivars Lembergs' demand that judges reviewing his criminal case be replaced, the LETA newswire reported.
A Latvian mother is facing the prospect of extradition to South Africa from Denmark to face trial after fleeing with her children, prompting questions to be asked by LTV's De Facto investigative show about whether Latvia has done enough to represent its citizen in a complex international legal wrangle.
In 2019 Liepāja Regional Hospital treated 12 children and youths after they suffered ill effects from smoking marihuana, and the number has alarmed medics as it is twice the number treated in 2018, according to Latvian Television's daily news broadcast “Dienas ziņas” on January 8.
On January 7 at 12:30 police were called to an office in Rīga where two men had died, according to a post on the State Police Facebook page.