Latvia’s ex-prime minister officially charged with money laundering

The office of the prosecutor has presented official charges to businessman and Latvian ex-prime minister Andris Šķēle in the criminal process on possible illegalities with digital television. He is suspected of fraud and money laundering.

In his statement to the media, Šķēle said he believes the charges are unjustified, adding that the prosecution has interpreted events of 2008 subjectively.

I’ve had no reason to believe I would be made a suspect in those events because in the 12 years that have passed since then I was not invited to testify a single time in this criminal process,» he said.

Šķēle said he will do all in his power to make sure the investigation is quick and objective. He added that he will provide all information he has to investigation institutions.

Šķēle invites submitting this criminal case to the court as soon as possible.

Šķēle said he will not provide more detailed comments at this time to avoid impeding the investigation.

As previously reported, the ex-board chairman of SIA Tet Juris Gulbis and four other persons are already suspects in this criminal process.

TV3 programme Nekā personīga reported in October that the office of the prosecutor has presented Gulbis and four others charges for possible participation in fraud in the digital television project, causing damages estimated around EUR 7 585 533 to the company in the process.

Law enforcers believe Kempmayer successor, the Hannu Digital company, had been involved in the project artificially and Gulbis had used the trust of Lattelecom (now Tet) owners and council.