Ambassador caught drunk driving

  • 2007-10-24
  • In cooperation with BNS
TALLINN -- Estonian police caught the Latvian ambassador to the country drunk driving in Tallinn last month, it has been revealed.

Latvian ambassador Rihards Mucins was at the wheel of a car driving the wrong way down the road when he was stopped by police officers on September 20. Tests revealed that he was over the legal blood alcohol level.
As diplomats are given immunity from prosecution by the Vienna Convention, representatives of the police unit responsible for foreign embassies' security were called to take the drunken diplomat home.

The only measure Estonian police could take was to inform the Foreign Ministry, which in turn sent an official note to the Latvian Foreign Ministry.

"The ambassador has apologized for the incident and expressed regret," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ehtel Halliste told the press.