Prosecutor general sees crisis in judicial system

RIGA - The recent acquittals in the loud criminal cases, too long court hearings signal of the crisis in the judicial system, said Prosecutor General Juris Stukans in an interview with LETA.

Stukans reminded that on July 12, the Riga Regional Court acquitted all defendants in the digital TV case. Early this year, Vidzeme District Court acquitted Estonian businessman Oleg Ossinovski and former Latvijas Dzelzcels railway company board chairman Ugis Magone in a corruption case.

Due to rotation of judges, the bribery case involving former politician Baiba Broka has been postponed by a year and a half.

Stukans said that all these an other cases demonstrate that there is a crisis in the judicial system, and the situation should be discussed by the Judicial Council.

Even though there had been judicial reforms carried out earlier, the situation now is more critical than before the reform. 

Speaking about the verdict in the digital TV case, Stukans is confident that there had been a crime. "I do not understand the motivation for a full acquittal," he said. Now the motivated verdict should be awaited in the case. Stukans believes that the prosecution's protest should follow.