Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Wednesday, Sep 24, 2025

Former Latvian Prime Minister Skele charged with money laundering

Former Latvian Prime Minister Skele charged with money laundering

Latvia’s former politicians Andris Skele and Ainars Slesers are facing criminal charges that have been brought against them as part of a criminal probe into the so-called digital TV case, LETA learned.
Aiga Eiduka, a spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office, told LETA that one of the persons charged in this case is being suspected of large-scale fraud and money-laundering. Information obtained by LETA suggests that this person is former prime minister Andris Skele.

Former transport minister Slesers, meanwhile, has been charged with large-scale fraud.

No measures of security have been imposed on the two persons.

Skele released a statement to the press on Monday saying that he considers the charges against him baseless. In Skele’s opinion, the prosecution’s interpretation of events around the public tender that was held in 2008 to introduce digital terrestrial television in Latvia was biased.

“I had no reason to think that I am suspected of criminal offenses in connection with these events, because in the last 12 years, leading up to March this year, I was never summoned to testify in this criminal probe,” Skele said.

Skele promised to do everything to make sure that his case is investigated swiftly and impartially. He also promised to provide law enforcement authorities with all information at his disposal.

Skele also urged the authorities to forward his case to court as soon as possible.

The ex-premier said that for the sake of the investigation’s integrity he would not give more comments for now.

Slesers also released a statement shortly before the news of his indictment broke. In his statement, Slesers said he was seriously considering a political comeback. He also said he was greatly surprises that he is being called to account for his role as the then transport minister in the 2008 digital TV tender which was won by Lattelecom. He also stressed that Lattelecom has never been under the Transport Ministry’s supervision and that the telecommunications company was supervised by the Economics Ministry.

As reported, Juris Gulbis, the former CEO of Tet telecommunications group, and four other persons have been charged in the aforementioned digital TV case.

In November 2020, TV3’s investigative news program Neka Personiga (Nothing Personal) reported that the Prosecutor’s Office had charged Gulbis and four other persons of possible participation in fraud in the introduction of digital television, estimating the damage caused to the company in the amount of EUR 7,585,533.

According to the case, the successor of Kempmayer, Hannu Digital, was fraudulently involved in the digital television project and Gulbis misused the trust of the owners and council of Lattelecom (now Tet).

According to the TV3 report, the transition to digital terrestrial broadcasting was planned 20 years ago when Skele was Latvia’s prime minister. Investigators probing the project believe that it was planned as a fraudulent deal centered around Kempmayer Media Limited, a London-registered shell corporation with owners hidden in offshores. The scam came to light in 2003 and 20 persons were charged in the criminal probe.

The Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce also found that Kempmayer had been established as a shell corporation and ordered the company to pay Latvia more than EUR 5 million. Businessman Andrejs Ekis, who had organized the composition of Kempmayer shareholders, paid the fine with money lent by Skele, TV3 reported.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
UK, Canada, and Australia Officially Recognise Palestine in Historic Shift
Dubai Property Boom Shows Strain as Flippers Get Buyer’s Remorse
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
UAE-US Stargate Project Poised to Make Abu Dhabi a Global AI Powerhouse
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Kuwait opens bidding for construction of three cities to ease housing crunch.
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Big Oil Slashes Jobs and Investments Amid Prolonged Low Crude Prices
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
Israeli Airstrike in Yemen Kills Houthi Prime Minister
After the Shock of Defeat, Iranians Yearn for Change
YouTube Altered Content by Artificial Intelligence – Without Permission
Iran Faces Escalating Water Crisis as Protests Spread
More Than Half a Million Evacuated as Typhoon Kajiki Heads for Vietnam
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Trump Backs Putin’s Land-for-Peace Proposal Amid Kyiv’s Rejection
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
United States Sells Luxury Yacht Amadea, Valued at Approximately $325 Million, in First Sale of a Seized Russian Yacht Since the Invasion of Ukraine
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
×