Three politicians facing criminal charges elected to Latvia's 15th Saeima

Three politicians facing criminal charges have won seats in Latvia's newly elected parliament, the 15th Saeima. Under the Saeima's Rules of Procedure, parliament must decide, after confirming members' mandates, whether to grant consent for criminal proceedings to continue — including cases where prosecution began before a member's mandate was confirmed. The rules also state that a lawmaker who has committed a criminal offense is considered excluded from the Saeima as soon as a guilty verdict takes legal effect.

Three deputies under prosecution

Among those elected is current Riga City Council member Ainārs Šlesers (LPV), who is a defendant in the so-called second digital television criminal case. Several other people are also charged in the case, including former Prime Minister Andris Šķēle. Latvia's Supreme Court previously overturned an acquittal issued by the Riga Regional Court in the case and sent it back for a new hearing.

Also elected to the Saeima is current Riga City Council member Rūdolfs Brēmanis (SV/AJ), who is charged with embezzling and fraudulently obtaining roughly 102,700 euros from the Latvian state during his career as a diplomat. That case remains before a first-instance court.

Former Rēzekne City Council chairman Aleksandrs Bartaševičs (Kopā Latvijai/LPV), who also won a seat, faces two separate criminal cases. In one, recently referred by prosecutors to the Latgale District Court, he is accused of exceeding his official authority in connection with a recreation center project in Rēzekne. The second case, pending before the Vidzeme District Court in Gulbene, concerns the disclosure of restricted information, as well as allegations that for 16 years Bartaševičs deliberately failed to disclose in his state official declarations property acquired abroad and other significant income.