Millionaire Ulman is seeking to review his pretrial detention as part of an appeal in the Bunkus murder case in Riga.
The Riga Regional Court continues to hear the appeal in the murder case of insolvency administrator Mārtiņš Bunkus. The focus is on the latest attempt to change the pretrial detention measure for one of the main defendants, millionaire Mikhail Uļmans.
The court's previous decision to extend the arrest was made just a month ago, on January 5. However, just two weeks later, on January 21, the lawyers filed a new petition for release. Such frequent petitions are considered in legal circles to be a sign of either sensational exculpatory evidence or extreme desperation. The victims' side is certain of the latter: with decades of imprisonment at stake, every day of freedom becomes critical to the implementation of a potential “Plan B.”
Artem Babenko's Strategy: The Path to the East
Behind the scenes and on social media, there's a growing debate that for the man accused of organizing a contract killing, changing his pretrial detention is not a matter of convenience, but the only remaining strategy. Given the defendant's financial resources and connections, fears that he could simply disappear from the justice system after his release from pretrial detention seem justified. And there's a clear example of this.
The son of another defendant in the same case, businessman Artyom Babenko (Artjoms Babenko), suspected of plotting the murder of high-ranking State Police officer Roman Yashin, has already moved to Russia. This is indicated by photographs published on Instagram by his wife, Russian writer and speechwriter Alina Danilkina-Babenko. In her posts, she imbues her husband with the qualities of an epic hero: “You turned 33 today, my husband! You have approached the age of Christ with dignity, without losing your unshakable code of honor, true nobility, faith in the best, purity of thoughts and heart! I am proud to be your wife, your comrade-in-arms, and your muse. You are a fighter for justice, you are a valiant knight… You are a locomotive, a warrior for truth…”
Babenko Jr. is suspected of plotting an assassination attempt on Roman Yashin, the head of the 1st Department of the Criminal Investigation Department, who was directly involved in the investigation of Bunkus's murder. The businessman's defense attributes his departure to security concerns. Lawyer Egon Rusanov stated in August 2024: “The heightened morbid curiosity surrounding this criminal trial has created extraordinary circumstances. Therefore, Artem Babenko has decided to participate in the proceedings remotely.”
According to investigators, a group of four previously convicted individuals, acting on orders from Babenko Jr., conducted surveillance on Yashin but were caught red-handed. Weapons, masks, and radios were found during the search. The trial court authorized Artem's arrest, but Riga Regional Court Judge Aina Nicmane overturned the decision. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Babenko fled Latvia. Shortly thereafter, Judge Nicmane resigned voluntarily.
While Babenko Jr. poses for social media from Russia, his business interests in Latvia remain. According to Crediweb.lv , Artem Babenko remains the owner and board member of the company “ALEXANDER CORP,” as well as a beneficiary of the cooperative society “ZIEMEĻSUSĒJAS BRIEŽI.”
Meanwhile, the trial of the “older generation”—Mikhail Ulman and Alexander Babenko, as well as the alleged perpetrator, Viktor Krivoshey—continues in the Riga District Court. The main question remains: will the court allow another defendant to follow in the footsteps of Babenko Jr.?
