Lawyer criticizes prosecutor general's handling of timber industry case as more about PR than law

In the ongoing timber industry case concerning price adjustments for sawlogs in long-term contracts, sworn attorney Jānis Dzanuškāns has published a critical assessment of Prosecutor General Armīns Meisters' actions.

On June 16, 2026, the prosecutor general submitted a protest to the Cabinet of Ministers, demanding the annulment, from the date of issuance, of two government decisions from 2023 and 2024 that allowed price corrections in long-term contracts between state forestry company Latvijas Valsts meži (LVM) and timber industry companies. The prosecution considers the decisions unlawful and estimates they caused LVM revenue losses of tens of millions of euros.

A protest against a decision already carried out

Dzanuškāns points out that a prosecutorial protest is not a court ruling but rather a request for the institution itself to correct a violation. The core problem, he argues, is that the contested decisions have already been implemented. According to the prosecution's own calculations, LVM lost €7.44 million in the first quarter of 2024, an additional €29.63 million due to further decisions, and €12.28 million linked to contracts amended in March 2025. Since the consequences have already materialized, simply annulling the decisions would not by itself undo the legal and economic effects that followed.

For this reason, Dzanuškāns argues, Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs' position — that the government cannot simply reverse a fully executed decision — was not legally unfounded.

Case referred to the Constitutional Court

After the government indicated the protest could not be executed, the prosecutor general turned to the Constitutional Court on August 20, asking that both disputed government decisions be declared invalid from the moment of their adoption. Dzanuškāns notes it remains unclear how a Constitutional Court ruling would affect contracts already concluded or amended, and the economic benefits already gained by companies involved.

The attorney also raised concerns about the prosecutor general's public communication style, saying the line between informing the public and using legal proceedings as a PR tool has become blurred in this case. He recalled that the State Audit Office estimated LVM's revenue loss at around €49.4 million, and that the prosecutor's office opened a criminal investigation into the matter in March 2026.