RIGA - The ongoing pedo-phile scandal has taken yet another turn. The Parlia-ment's Mandate and Submission Commission recently voted against handing MP Janis Adamsons over to the General Prosecutor's Office, and Russia is refusing to hand over two witnesses linked to the investigation.
Following this, there will be a final Parliament vote on whether to hand over Adamsons, by lifting his parliamentary immunity, to General Prosecutor Janis Maizitis.
Adamsons shocked the country earlier this year when he announced he had evidence linking the scandal to top government officials, including then Prime Minister Andris Skele.
Earlier this summer the Prosecutor General's Office closed investigations on Skele and former Justice Minister Valdis Birkavs, saying the allegations posed by Adamsons were groundless.
How did you feel after the Parliament's Mandate and Submission Commission declined the Prosecutor General Janis Maizitis's request of prosecuting you?
It's characteristic of all parliaments in all democratic countries. Over the last five years they have tried to incriminate me seven times, so I am quite experienced, and many people don't like that I speak so frankly about what goes on in Latvian politics.
Do you have any faith in the General Prosecutor's Office?
No, not at all. Because when I first informed Parliament about the investigative commission's work on pedophilia in Latvia, (Janis) Skrastins (then the General Prosecutor) announced that it could all be falsified. The aim is to get me out of politics.
What do you think of the National Human Rights Office director Olafs Bruvers' statements about the investigative commis-sion's material?
I agree with them. What comes out of the General Prosecutors' Office are only half-truths.
Why is the investigative commission's material kept a secret to the public?
I also want to see it public, but it's not up to me to make sure it's accessible. I know that 10 out of 12 members of the investigative commission are on my side.
How do you think Parliament will vote concerning your immunity?
It's difficult to make a judgment because it's common in politics that people change their minds at the last moment. Still, regardless of the result, they cannot break me.
Is Russia doing the right thing in not handing over the two witnesses connected to the pedophile investigation?
One of the reasons the Russians are not releasing them is because there's a witness protection program for these two. I don't understand why they went from witnesses to accused.
What information did they give to the investigation?
They told of how they had been sexually abused by (Interior Minister Mareks) Seglins and (former Minister of Justice Valdis) Birkavs.
What are you doing to ensure that justice will be served in this matter?
I won't give in, and I will keep fighting for justice. People have tried to buy me off the investigation and also threaten me.
Are you afraid when you walk the streets of Riga?
No, because the majority has always supported me. I am also a professional navy captain and I can take care of myself.
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