Court continues criminal case against popular actor Andris Daugaviņš

The Riga City Court will continue hearing the criminal case against actor and former insolvency administrator Andris Daugaviņš at 10:00 on January 21 next year. He is charged with large-scale misappropriation and abuse of office causing serious consequences.

According to the prosecution, Daugaviņš had been appointed administrator of the insolvency process of SIA "Zeus". In that role, he allegedly used his authority to unlawfully calculate and pay himself more than 50,000 euros from funds held in the company's account. The charges also state that he brought in another company as a specialist without justification, handing over duties that fell within his own responsibilities and paying that company's invoices from "Zeus" funds. He is further accused of lending company money to a private individual and transferring some funds to his own personal account. Prosecutors estimate the total financial damage at 366,416 euros.

A parallel legal battle

Separately, Daugaviņš has taken a case against the Latvian state to the European Court of Human Rights, challenging a requirement that he repay compensation received over seven years of work on the "Zeus" insolvency process. In earlier proceedings, a court ruled in favor of "Zeus"'s side, ordering Daugaviņš to return all compensation received over the years. His lawyer argues that Latvia's Insolvency Law applies an overly simplified standard, requiring the full sum to be repaid regardless of the severity of any violation. The Constitutional Court declined to take up the case.

Daugaviņš became widely known for a role in the 2018 Latvian film "Kriminālās ekselences fonds". The case is also linked to an earlier criminal case against the former management of "Rīgas nami" over high-risk financial dealings with "Zeus".