Update 10:31
Crime
The Latvian State Police said on March 31st that in the early morning of March 15 – two weeks ago – they received a call to an apartment in Riga, in the Avoti suburb, stating that a woman born in 1974 needed help and that her husband had used violence against her and tied her up.
The Riga District Court has handed out prison sentences and ordered the payment of more than 1.3 million euros in fines in a case involving the contamination of Zemgale countryside with a poisonous substance in 2019, the prosecutor's office announced.
The director of the State Digital Development Agency (SDAA) has suspended Oļegs Filipovičs, the director of the Information Technology Support Department, from his duties for an indefinite period, it has been announced.
Every year, QR codes are becoming increasingly popular; they are very convenient for quickly accessing information and making payments, and can be used for many other purposes. However, due to their growing popularity, scammers are increasingly using them as well, creating fake QR codes, Latvian Radio reported on 29th March.
The Prosecutor’s Office said on 26th March that a criminal case against a former investigator with the State Revenue Service (VID) has been referred to the Economic Crimes Court on charges of theft of a Rolex watch and money, and money laundering.
Due to an alleged fraud case in public administration IT procurements, the Ministry of Smart Administration and Regional Development (VARAM) has launched an audit of procurements organised by the State Digital Development Agency (VDAA) over the past two years, said the sector’s minister, Raimonds Čudars (New Unity), on the Latvian Television programme “What’s Happening in Latvia?”
According to information released by the Finance Latvia Association (FLA), a total of 2.6 million euros was defrauded from customers of Latvian financial institutions through payment authorisations in the first two months of this year, newswire LETA reports.
At least four unauthorised entry attempts were recorded on the premises and in the production facilities of the egg producer "Alūksnes putnu ferma" in February and March. Attempts to gain access using drones were also observed, the company reported.
An individual who was happy to wave a Russian flag in Rīga soon after Russia's disgusting invasion of Ukraine has had his complaints about his arrest during the incident "unanimously" thrown out by the European Court of Human Rights (ECGHR).
In order to strengthen the protection of victims and promote a safer and more responsible digital environment, as well as protect the right to privacy, the Saeima on Thursday, March 19th, finally supported to the Criminal Law , which establish criminal liability for the distribution of intimate materials without the consent of the person appearing in them.
Jorens Liopa, who was arrested on suspicion of fraud involving IT procurement, has been suspended from his position in the Nature Conservation Agency (DAP), the agency told LSM.lv.
The Latgale District Court has sentenced a Moldovan citizen to four years and six months in prison after he was caught in Ludza municipality transporting immigrants who had crossed the Belarus-Latvia border illegally. The man was also ordered to be deported from Latvia and barred from re-entering the country for five years.
The Competition Council (KP) has imposed a fine of 186,780 euros on SIA "SS," the owner of the online classifieds website "ss.lv," for abusing its dominant position by hindering the development of a competing platform, the KP said.
The Saeima Committee on Defence, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention on Wednesday, March 18th, supported amendments to the Immigration Law which provide for stricter requirements for foreigners holding temporary residence permits who have violated Latvian laws.
In a case involving alleged fraud in IT procurements worth more than 1.5 million euros, police have detained 21 people, including government officials. Latvian Television has learned that one of those detained is Jorens Liopa, the former director of the State Digital Development Agency.
The Latvian State Police said on March 18th that they arrested 21 people – including state officials – on Tuesday, March 17th, on suspicion of information technology (IT) procurement fraud worth 1.5 million euros.
Andris Medians, who presented himself as an experienced addiction treatment specialist and against whom criminal proceedings have been initiated for sexual abuse, has been arrested, the State Police confirmed to Latvian Television on 18th March.
Latvian State Police have scored a major drugs bust, seizing approximately 11 kilograms of cocaine and three kilograms of marijuana during a search at an apartment in Rīga. This is the largest amount of cocaine seized by the State Police since 2019.
The number of crimes committed increased in Latvia last year, according to data compiled by the Prosecutor General's Office.
The Saeima Legal Committee on Tuesday, March 10th, supported to the Criminal Law, which are planned to determine that an attack on an employee of the Emergency Medical Service (NMPD) who is performing his or her official duties will be equated with an attack on a public official.
The Estonian Police and Border Guard Board (PPA) have arrested a Latvian citizen on suspicion of operating a SIM box in Tallinn, which masks the international origin of calls in order to help facilitate fraud, reports ERR News.
In the month and a half since Latvian Television's De Facto investigative show first reported on Andris Medians, who presented himself as an experienced addiction treatment specialist and in connection with whom criminal proceedings for sexual violence have been initiated, a lot has happened. Several more people have come forward, stating that they experienced harassment during consulatations with Medians, and the Health Inspectorate has found unauthorized medical treatment during an inspection.
At the end of last year, the Latvian State Police received information about the sale of tobacco products in the Olaine region which led to raids by Riga Regional Administration Pieriga South Precinct of the State Police which on March 3rd of this year detained a resident of Olaine born in 1987 in connection with these offences, the police said in a release.
On March 4th, the State Police Cybercrime Combating Department, together with Europol, foreign law enforcement agencies, and private sector partners, shut down the global phishing service platform Tycoon2FA, deactivating 330 domains that formed the basis of the criminal infrastructure.
Last year, the Riga Municipal Police responded to more than 130,000 calls, half of which were related to traffic violations, according to a review of the municipal police's work in the capital last year, published on Wednesday.
In Rīga this week, a man killed his 76-year-old mother by throwing her from a fourth-floor balcony, the State Police have reported.
The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) says in a review of its activities in 2025 that it launched 45 criminal proceedings. Despite being less than one per week, this is the largest number in the last five years, the bureau said.
A criminal case has been filed with the Riga City Court against a Latvian national for transferring money with the aim of supporting Russia's illegal military operations in Ukraine, reports LSM's Latvian language service.
The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB), Latvia's national anti-graft agency, has launched an investigation to assess information provided by the State Audit Office (VK) regarding the purchase of electric buses by municipalities worth 8.8 million euros, financed from the European Recovery Fund, reported Latvian Television's investigative programme De Facto on March 1st.
Crimes related to war justification, fraud, and petty theft are on the State Police's radar this year and were also common last year On Thursday, February 26th, the State Police leadership assessed last year's achievements and trends in the field of criminal offences.
Follow Eng.Lsm.lv on social media!
Most important
Most read