The Riga District Court in Jurmala today recognized the former president of the Bank of Latvia Ilmar Rimshevich and businessman Maris Martinsons guilty of crimes related to bribery, and sentenced both to real terms of imprisonment.
Rimshevich was sentenced to six years in prison and probation for one year. The court also decided to confiscate Rimsevics’ property, including several properties in the Garkalne parish, an apartment in Jurmala and property in the Ventspils region.
The court sentenced Martinsons to five years in prison and ordered him to pay more than 150,000 euros. Compulsory measures in the amount of 3.1 million euros were imposed on the company MM Investīcijas, owned by Martinsons.
The court also decided to ask the State Police to initiate criminal proceedings against Viktor Ziemelis, a member of the board of Trasta komercbanka, for giving false testimony in court.
The verdict can be appealed to the Riga District Court.
After the verdict was pronounced, Rimshevich told reporters that he would appeal it, but refrained from making more detailed comments. Martinsons’ lawyer Didzis Vilemsons also confirmed that the verdict will be appealed.
During the trial, Rimsevics and Martinsons stated that they did not admit their guilt.
Rimsevics and Martinsons were detained by the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) in February 2018. The Prosecutor General’s Office charged Rimsevic with bribery, and Martinsons with facilitating bribery.
Rimshevich is accused of receiving a bribe – a paid vacation trip and money, as well as laundering financial assets obtained by criminal means.
RBC news agency, 12/21/2023, “The ex-head of the Central Bank of Latvia was given six years for bribes and fishing in Russia (*aggressor country)”: According to the investigation, the bank’s largest shareholder, Igor Buimister, paid Rimshevich for a fishing trip to Kamchatka worth €7.5 thousand, and in return he gave advice to the bank’s board against the backdrop of various requirements from the regulator – the Financial and Capital Market Commission. […]
In 2018, a photograph appeared, taken in 2010, in which Rimshevich was captured vacationing with the then head of the Russian Research Institute of Information Technologies (NIIIT) Dmitry Pilshchikov. This organization is under US sanctions. The former head of the Central Bank admitted that he had been to Kamchatka twice, but did not know Pilshchikov. As noted by the Associated Press, the photo became a big deal because Rimsevic has access to sensitive NATO and EU information such as military plans, secret service reports and the status of critical infrastructure. — Insert K.ru
As prosecutor Viorica Yirgena previously reported, KNAB opened a case at the request of two representatives of Trasta komercbanka. Both appear in the case as bribers, but were released from criminal liability because they voluntarily turned to law enforcement agencies. According to the LETA agency, these were former TKB board member Viktor Ziemelis and former shareholder Igor Buimister.
Previously, Rimsevics was subject to such preventive measures as a ban on approaching certain individuals – he was prohibited from meeting with the then LB official and former chairman of the Financial and Capital Market Commission (FKTK) Irena Krumane, as well as with Ziemelis and Buimister.
Previously, Yirgena said that in 2010, one of the shareholders approached Rimshevich with a request to help in matters related to FKTK, offering him a paid trip to Kamchatka in return. In 2012, this shareholder, along with another, repeatedly turned to Rimsevic with a request for help in other issues related to FKTK. As payment, Rimsevic requested 500,000 euros, which had to be paid in two installments – before and after the FKTK decision.
The prosecutor previously reported that Rimsevic repeatedly advised the shareholder of Trasta komercbanka, trying to influence the decisions of the Financial and Capital Market Commission (FKTK). As one of the forms of assistance provided by Rimshevich, the prosecutor named assistance in preparing answers to questions asked by FKTK in connection with the bank’s liquidity and the problems of non-residents.
Although Rimsevics managed to influence FKTK’s decisions, which were obviously favorable for Trasta komercbanka, unfavorable decisions were also made at the same time. However, as the prosecutor explained, Rimshevich failed to fulfill everything that was required of him, so only the first part of the bribe was paid – 250,000 euros. Martinsons acted as an intermediary in this criminal deal and received 10% of the bribe amount.
Under additional articles, Rimsevics and Martinsons were also charged with laundering proceeds from crime in the amount of 250,000 euros.
The Prosecutor General’s Office believes that Rimsevic used a bribe of 250,000 euros to purchase real estate on behalf of a company of which he secretly became a co-owner. The charge is related to a transaction during which the company MM Investīcijas, officially owned by Martinsons, acquired real estate in Jurmala, at 2 Baznicas Street.
During the trial, in 2018, Rimsevic tried to initiate a case against the state in connection with a violation of the presumption of innocence in the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). Rimsevic filed a complaint against the state with the ECHR, alleging that several high-ranking officials violated his presumption of innocence by publicly speaking about his case, which is a violation of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, but the court rejected his complaint, pointing out that Rimsevic still failed to exhaust the legal remedies available to him.
