Lembergs demands 25,000 from prosecutor general

  • 2009-03-06
  • TBT Staff in cooperation with BNS
RIGA - Embattled Ventspils Mayor Aivars Lembergs, who currently stands trial on a number of chargesincluding graft and money laundering, has said he will seek 25,000 lats (35,570 euros) in libel damages from Prosecutor General Janis Maizitis.

Lembergs told the Baltic News Service that earlier this week he had submitted a libel claim toMaizitis because the prosecutor general, when speaking on the publicLatvian Television on May 29, 2008, had said that five criminalproceedings had already been opened against Lembergs.

"As the charges against me have not been brought under five criminalproceedings, the prosecutor general made public the information which isfalse and defamatory, thus misinforming the public and discrediting me asan individual and a politician. I am not aware of the reasons,considerations or intentions underlying such actions by a high-rankingstate official," said Lembergs.