Latvia (AFP): A Latvian court on Wednesday found former long-time central bank chief and European Central Bank board member Ilmars Rimsevics guilty of bribery and sentenced him to six years in prison.
The Jurmala city court also ordered the confiscation of “criminally-obtained” real estate properties owned by Rimsevics, judge Gundega Lapiņa said during sentencing.
The court sentenced businessman and political operator Maris Martinsons to five years in prison for aiding and abetting the bribery.
Both men told reporters they would lodge appeals.
Rimsevics had been the head of the Baltic state’s central bank since 2001 when he was arrested in 2018 for bribery.
Prosecutors had said two unnamed shareholders of Trasta Komercbanka — a Latvian bank shut down in 2016 for money laundering and fraud — alleged that Rimsevics had requested a bribe in exchange for keeping it afloat.
When Latvia joined the eurozone in 2014, Rimsevics became a member of the board of the European Central Bank, a job he retained until his term as central bank chief expired in 2019.
