Latvia, Legislation

Commenting this matter, Ameriks said that he had a meeting with KNAB official yesterday. ''I myself have not been charged with anything,'' he said, adding that he cannot comment with what these searches are connected to, but it might be associated with Rigas Satiksme municipal public transport company.

As reported, KNAB officers arrived at the office of Rigas Satiksme municipal public transport company yesterday, Rigas Satiksme spokesman Viktors Zakis confirmed in an interview with LETA.

Zakis told LETA that two KNAB officials arrived and were in the office of Rigas Satiksme head Leons Bemhems.

Zakis underscored that no other procedural activities are being carried out in the office.

It is not clear whether the visit of KNAB officials could be related with detention of businessman Maris Martinsons. As reported, KNAB detained businessman Maris Martinsons. Also, according to the information at the disposal of LETA, detention of Martinsons is not related with the investigation carried out against Bank of Latvia governor Ilmars Rimsevics.

It has also been reported that law enforcement officials have visited Rigas Satiksme offices also earlier. In October the State Police searched Rigas Satiksme offices as a part of a criminal case derived from the so-called Rigas Satiksme nanowater affair.

The so-called nanowater affair deals with a rigged procurement tender organized by several Rigas Satiksme officials in 2012, which awarded a contract for the supply of "nanotechnological chemicals" to Rigas Satiksme by a company established specifically for carrying out the scheme. Instead of chemicals, the company was delivering water to Rigas Satiksme, but no one bothered to look into the matter until early 2015, when TV3 investigative program Neka Personiga (Nothing Personal) first reported about what later became known as the nanowater affair.