The former chairman of the board of "Cēsu alus" Eva Sietinšone has appealed the verdict of the Riga City Court in the case of driving under the influence — 2.6 per mille, according to information on the "tiesas.lv" website, writes LETA.
The Riga District Court will consider the case in a written process on September 9.
As reported, in September last year, the Riga City Court sentenced Sietinšone to probation supervision for a period of one and a half years, deprived her of the right to drive for three years, and ordered the recovery of part of the value of the "Lexus RX 450h" car — 20,000 euros, in favor of the state.
The court also informed the LETA agency that procedural costs of 204 euros related to the alcohol concentration check were ordered to be recovered in favor of the state.
Without naming the individual, the prosecutor's office confirmed to the LETA agency that in December 2023, the person was stopped while driving a "Lexus" on Krasta Street from the center towards the "Dole" shopping center. Sietinšone's blood alcohol concentration was found to be 2.66 per mille.
In a conversation with "Latvijas Avīze," Sietinšone previously did not deny her connection to the criminal case but refused to comment on it. She disagreed that her resignation and this long-ago incident were related.
The portal NRA also reported that last year, Eva Sietinšone cried during the court hearing. The former daughter-in-law of Latvia's President Valdis Zatlers arrived in court with a friend. Eva's defense in court was provided by lawyer Jānis Mučenieks. "On December 11, 2023, I underwent surgery under anesthesia. This event and other events have shaken my life both physically and emotionally," Eva said in court, holding back tears.
"The events I experienced, the fear of the future, and the stress after the surgery led me to an emotional crisis, and on December 12, unfortunately, I drank alcohol. I did not sleep or eat for several days...," Sietinšone recalled at that time.
In November 2022, amendments to the Criminal Code came into force, providing for criminal liability for operating a vehicle or teaching driving if the alcohol concentration in the exhaled air or blood exceeds 1.5 per mille.
Confiscation of the vehicle is also provided if the owner operated it while in a state of severe intoxication or refused to undergo a drug test. In cases where the vehicle belongs to another person, the full or partial value of the car is recovered from the offender.
The Criminal Code provides for imprisonment for up to one year, probation supervision, and deprivation of the right to drive for five years for such a crime.
As reported, Sietinšone left her position as the chairwoman of the board of "Cēsu alus." According to information from "Firmas.lv," she held this position since September 2004, and prior to that, she was the deputy chairwoman of the company's board since September 2002.
Leave a comment