The Riga District Court will continue the consideration of the so-called criminal case regarding digital television today at 10:00, the court informed the LETA agency.
The court proceedings are set to continue.
The accused in the case are Andris Zabetskis, Janis Loze, Harijs Krongorns, Andris Ekis, Jurģis Liepnieks, Guntars Spunde, Janis Svarpstons, Janis Zips, and Uldis Kokins.
The District Court is reviewing this case, related to the implementation project of digital television in 2002–2003, for the third time. The first time, most of the accused were found guilty, and the second time, all were acquitted. In both cases, the sentences were appealed to the Supreme Court (SC), which annulled them.
The criminal case regarding digital television is connected to an agreement between JSC "Digital Latvian Radio and Television Center" (DLRTC) and its subsidiary "Kempmayer Media Limited" — "Kempmayer Media Latvia" ("Kempmayer"), which provided for the phased implementation of digital television and the supply of specialized equipment for digital broadcasting to Latvia. The total cost of the project was then estimated at tens of millions of lats.
For the first time, the Riga District Court found several defendants guilty in the summer of 2019, including imposing real prison sentences on former board members of "Kempmayer". Svarpstons was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison and a fine of 22,790 euros, Zabetskis to two years and nine months in prison, Zips to one year and nine months in prison and a fine of 22,790 euros.
Lawyer Loze was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison and a fine of 33,540 euros, while the former CEO of DLRTC Spunde received a sentence of nine months in prison and a fine of 26,230 euros.
Political technologist Liepnieks was fined 67,080 euros, and the former owner of the LNT channel Ekis was fined 40,850 euros.
Krongorns was sentenced to three years in prison, and Kokins to two years in prison and a fine of 18,000 euros.
At the same time, the appellate instance acquitted those convicted in the first instance court, including the former director of the National Theatre Ojars Rubenis, the former state authorized representative of the State Joint Stock Company "Latvian State Radio and Television Center" (LVRTC) Didzis Jonovs, business consultant Valdis Purvinskis, and state authorized representative of LVRTC Adrians Boldans.
An acquittal also came into force regarding entrepreneur Juris Ulmanis and lawyer Martins Kveps. The first instance court also acquitted Gints Bandens, Janis Plumis, and Alfreds Janevics.
A total of 20 individuals were charged in this criminal process; however, the case against Maris Pauders was terminated in part. One of the accused, Inara Rudaka, passed away in 2013.
The Supreme Court annulled the appellate court's verdict, and the case was again submitted to the Riga District Court, which acquitted all defendants in 2021, not establishing any criminal offense in their actions.
The prosecutor filed a cassation protest against this verdict, which the Supreme Court accepted, thus the case is subject to review in the district court again.
