Zolitūde Tragedy: Accused to Testify in Court This Autumn

The accused in the so-called Zolitūde tragedy case are scheduled to testify at the Riga Regional Court on September 9. The case is being heard on appeal after the Supreme Court partially annulled the previous judgment.

Currently, five individuals are charged: construction engineer Ivars Sergets, building expert Andris Gulbis, construction manager Staņislavs Kumpiņš from Re&Re, supervisor Mārtiņš Draudiņš, and former deputy head of Riga Building Inspection Jānis Balodis. Sergets, Gulbis, Kumpiņš, and Draudiņš are accused of violating construction regulations and causing death through negligence, while Balodis faces charges of official misconduct.

The court will also consider the application of coercive measures against SIA Re&Re and SIA CMConsulting, following an appeal by prosecutor Agris Skradailis, as well as appeals from Sergets' lawyer and the victims.

The Supreme Court had previously overturned the Riga Regional Court's conviction of Sergets, citing unjustified exclusion of certain charges. The acquittals of Gulbis, Kumpiņš, Draudiņš, and Balodis were also overturned due to insufficient reasoning. However, the acquittals of architect Andris Kalinka, former Riga Building Board official Marika Treija (deceased), former deputy building inspection head Aija Meļņikova, and Maxima Latvia employee Inna Šuvajeva were upheld, clearing them of all charges.

In the first instance, only Sergets was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison. The appellate court increased the sentence by six months and ordered him to pay €5.5 million in moral damages and banned him from his profession for five years. Following the Supreme Court's decision, the charges were refined, removing individuals covered by the final acquittals. The prosecution stated that the charges remain largely unchanged from the original 2015 indictment.

The first-instance court had previously criticized prosecutors Kaspars Cakuls, Jekaterina Kušakova, and Agris Skradailis for including irrelevant materials in the case.

The tragedy occurred on November 21, 2013, when the roof of the Maxima supermarket collapsed in Zolitūde, killing 54 people and injuring dozens. Experts concluded that the collapse was caused by miscalculated loads on the roof structure.