Crime, Latvia, Legislation, Society

Kozuls has also been banned to take a lawmaker’s position at the Vilani local council and run for the parliament, European Parliament and local elections for two years.

The case has been closed against another suspect, Andrejs Sackovskis, because of his death.

The full text of the verdict will be available on October 24, and it can then be appealed.

The appeal in this case concerning Kozuls on the verdict of Rezekne court was submitted by the prosecutor.

The Rezekne Court earlier found Sackovskis guilty and imposed a suspended one–year jail term on him with a probation period of a year and a half. He was also banned to approach certain people and leave the country. Kozuls was acquitted by the first instance court then.

Sackovskis was satisfied with the first instance court decision, but Kozulis did not comment on it.

The prosecutor had asked the court to sentence Kozulis to one year and six months in jail, strip him of local lawmaker’s mandate and ban to run for the elections for three years. The prosecutor also asked the court to sentence Sackovskis to one year in jail.

Kozulis' lawyer Oskars Rode said earlier that the case is not simple, there have been many witnesses in the case and they have given contradictory evidence. Kozulis' name has been mentioned indirectly in the evidence, referring to somebody else who has said something against him. Rode believes that it is not direct evidence that proved his client’s guilt.

Both men have been charged according to the Criminal Law's Section 90 - interference with the exercise of voting rights. The maximum penalty if convicted is three years in jail or community service or a fine.

As reported, the Security Police initiated several criminal processes on possible vote buying in favor of several parties and their candidates during the 12th Saeima elections.

In two cases on vote-buying in favor of Zakis, court sentences have come into force. The Rezekne town court sentenced two brothers - Viktors Balabolins got 180 hours of community service and Aleksandrs Balabolins got 160 hours of community service. Previously the court in Rezekne sentenced Jevgenijs Brovcenko to 100 hours of community service.