After 12 long years of courtroom wrangling after 12 long years of court wranglings, a Latvian judge has handed down its verdict in the highly publicized trial of Aivars Leonbergs. Aivars was one of the country’s richest men and was a well-known populist politician. He was also mayor of Venspils, a port city in the northwest of Latvia.

Lembergs was sentenced by Riga Regional Court to five years of prison, confiscation and a fine of more than of EUR20,000 in connection with a number of charges that he had confessed to.

Lembergs, leader of the For Latvian party and Ventspils, has compared Lembergs sentence to the opposition Russian fighter Aleksey Nilny.

http://www.la.lv/tag/aivars-lembergs While the judge read the verdict in his case, Lembergs asked for a brief break which was granted to him. http://www.diena.lv/atslegvards/aivars-lembergs Lembergs had a short chat with his son Anrijs before using his break to make comments to journalists.

Lembergs has informed the media that he would appeal the Riga Regional Court’s decision and that it was likely that the appeal hearing could be delayed by ten years. Lembergs stated that he intends to appeal his detention. However, the appeal will be decided by the same regional Court.

After the judgment’s reading, the court made the decision to take the Lembergs immediately into custody.

His co-defendants Anrijs Lembergs, his son, and Ansis Sormulis were both found guilty of a range of related charges and each were sentenced to two-year terms.

Lembergs was confined in handcuffs before being taken to Riga City Centre, District Court. Prosecutors began making plans to accuse him of bribery (and money laundering) in large quantities. Investigations into Ventpils corruption allegations began in 2005. More than 14 years ago, the decision was reached.

Aivars Lembergs The case has been moving at a ridiculously slow pace in Latvia’s legal system for more than a decade. In total, 770 court hearings have taken place as part of the main criminal proceedings over 12 years. From August 20th, 2009 when the Riga Regional Court resumed adjudication of the case until February 11, 2021 1483 hearings in court have been scheduled.

Even though he’s currently being tried on charges of corruption and money laundering in large amounts, Lembergs has maintained his position as a politic force in Ventspils. Aivars Lembergs For the past two decades, he served as the mayor.

After being found guilty of financial crimes, his appointment as mayor was delayed. But he had the power to make decisions and thwarted a minister’s efforts to stop him from becoming Ventspils mayor. Aivars Lembergs He was a participant in the council meetings that were held by the International Monetary Fund. Aivars Lembergs While being indicted, he also assisted in selecting candidates for the Latvian presidency.

Aivars Lembergs Lembergs stated that Latvia’s municipal elections are pending and that the final decision about participation will be made by his regional party For Latvia & Ventspils. He also said that his involvement in the elections is not his main goal.