Defendants in Daimler bribery affair to pay EUR 1.5 million compensation to the state

RIGA - Riga Vidzeme District Court on Thursday issued its verdict in the so-called Daimler bribery affair, ordering the defendants to pay EUR 1.5 million compensation to the state, LETA learned from the court.

According to the agreement reached between the prosecutor's office and the defendants, the defendants plead guilty, agree to pay EUR 1.5 million compensation into the state budget, and agree to conditional sentences.

Earlier in the court session, it was confirmed in court that the process of transferring money to the state budget had already begun.

There are six persons officially charged in the Daimler bribery affair - ex-Riga Mayor Gundars Bojars' then-advisor on transport affairs and Rigas Satiksme council deputy chairman, Leonards Tenis, another former Bojars' advisor, Armands Zeihmanis, his wife Vita Zeihmane, as well as Raimonds Krastins, the director of a company registered in Sweden, businessman Sergejs Zambers, and Agris Korosevskis.

Investigators established that Riga City Council officials received bribes from Daimler so that it would win public transportation purchase tenders in Riga. The Daimler manufactured Mercedes Benz public transportation buses were eventually purchased by the Riga municipal public transportation company Rigas Satiksme. A total of 117 Mercedes Benz buses were purchased by the municipal company between 2002 and 2006.