Brencis denies wrongdoing and will keep his Saeima seat

Mārtiņš Brencis, a newly elected member of Latvia's 15th Saeima (parliament) representing the party AS, does not plan to give up his parliamentary mandate. On Wednesday he was subject to procedural actions in a criminal case opened by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), the European Union body that investigates crimes against the EU's financial interests. The decision to keep the seat matters because it concerns a freshly elected lawmaker who is under investigation in a criminal case.

Brencis's position

Brencis believes he has done nothing unlawful. For that reason he sees no grounds to leave his post as a member of parliament. At the same time, he says he is cooperating with law enforcement authorities during the investigation.

Brencis is also referred to as an adviser to Kulbergs.

What is not known

The available information does not specify which actions are being investigated or what the legal basis of the criminal case is. It also does not say whether he has been charged or given any particular procedural status. All that is known is that procedural actions took place on Wednesday and that the deputy publicly rejects any unlawful conduct.

It remains unclear how the case will proceed and whether it will affect his work in the Saeima.