Jūrmala Mayor Raimonds Munkevics says he is innocent.
JŪRMALA, Latvia — The mayor of Latvia’s premiere seaside destination Jūrmala was arrested Tuesday for allegedly giving a 5,000 lat (€7,068) bribe to a city council member for a favorable vote.
Police suspect that Mayor Raimonds Munkevics gave the bribe to city council member Iveta Blau of the New Era Party and arrested him Tuesday evening for a 48-hour detention. Police say Munkevics may have attempted to bribe other council members, too ahead a no-confidence vote he was projected to lose, as eight members of the 15-seat city council had signed a petition to remove Munkevics from office. Munkevics is a member of the Jūrmala, Our Home Party.
City council member Marina Vorobjova of the Harmony Center Party told the LETA news agency that last week Munkevics said he wanted to “financially stimulate” her, and had shown her the number “5” written on a scrap of paper.
Munkevics’ attorney Aivo Leimanis said his client is innocent.
“There is no irrefutable and undeniable evidence to confirm that he might be involved in some illegal activities associated with giving a bribe to obtain a favorable decision,” Leimanis told reporters on Wednesday. “He denies all.”
Meanwhile Normunds Pīrants, a member of the Jūrmala Emergency Medical Services administrative board was also arrested in connection with the case.
This is not the first time the Jūrmala city council has been embroiled in a bribery scandal — in 2006 the “Jūrmalgeitas” scandal cost Ainārs Šlesers his transport minister post and also involved former Prime Minister Andris Šķēle and businessman Germans Milušs in the bribery of city council members in exchange for supporting the mayoral candidacy of Juris Hlevickis, a Latvia’s First Party member.
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