RIGA - Latvian Prosecutor's General Office, at the request of Sarmite Elerte, editor-in-chief of Latvia's largest daily Diena, will investigate whether Aivars Lembergs, mayor of Latvian oil transit city Ventspils, has spied on her.
Prosecutor's office spokesman Andrejs Vasks told BNS that the office received a claim from Elerte and the information still has to be examined.
Prosecutor General Janis Maizitis in early August said that searches carried out at Lembergs' properties and offices, concerning the criminal proceedings launched against Lembergs on bribery and money-laundering, were successful.
"From the point of view of charges and investigation, the searches in Ventspils were positive. We obtained additional evidence and facts upholding the current charges and the criminal case in general," said Maizitis.
"We also seized such materials, which can be a base for investigation on alleged offences of Personal Data Protection Law," said the prosecutor. He said that the findings contain information about private life of several individuals. Maizitis has ordered to carry out a separate investigation on this information.
Media said that several pages of information about Elerte were found on the desk of Lembergs. Elerte believes that somebody had been promised money for false evidence against her three years ago, mentioning the name of Lembergs.
De Facto program of Latvia's LTV public television reported on the protocols of the searches carried out at Lembergs' properties and offices, saying that Dans Titavs, an influential member of Latvia's center-right New Era party, has also been spied on two years ago when he was the aid of former prime minister Einars Repse.
Lembergs is considering a possibility to demand De Facto to recall the published information. He believes that the program showed false materials as the premises and cabinet showed on TV was not the one in which the search was actually carried out.
Lembergs repeatedly said that he has never gathered any information in a way that contradicts the Personal Data Protection Law. The materials found in his office have come from unknown sources and he has never published the information.
