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On Tuesday, 21 June, the Legal Affairs Committee of the Saeima expressed conceptual support for amendments to the Criminal Law that set forth criminal liability for illegal financing of political parties and for accepting illegal contributions. Members of the Committee unanimously supported further processing of the draft law.

Support for the further processing of the draft law was also expressed today by representatives of the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau, the Ministry of Justice and the Prosecutor General’s Office. At the same time, experts pointed out that because the text of the draft law was drafted several years ago, it is in need of various editorial changes. In addition, the provisions included in the draft law should be harmonised with the Law on Financing of Political Organisations (Parties) and with the Concept on Criminal Penalty Policy; they should also be clarified both in the disposition and the sanctions parts.

Amendments to the Criminal Law, which were submitted by the President of Latvia, set forth responsibility for illegal financing of a political organisation (party) or a union of political organisations (parties), as well as for accepting illegal contributions (donations) or requesting illegal financing of political organisations or unions of such organisations. Likewise, the submitted amendments to the Law provide for the possibility to release a person from criminal liability if the illegal financing of a party has occurred as a result of blackmailing or if the person has voluntarily reported an occurrence of illegal financing after the fact.

Ilma Čepāne, Chairperson of the Committee, called for immediate adoption of the Law “in order for society to see that the Saeima can rectify the mistakes committed”. With a majority vote, the MPs decided to request the Saeima to recognise the draft law as urgent and examine it in the first reading in the next extraordinary plenary sitting of the Saeima.

Saeima Press Service