EU – Baltic States, Financial Services, Latvia, Legislation, Transport

The prosecutor on the case Velta Zaluksne told LETA that Tenis has been charged for repeated bribe taking in large amounts. The bribes, according to the prosecutor, were taken not only from Daimler AG group company Evo Bus, but also from other public transportation bus and trolley-bus manufacturers – Ikarus Special Coach Factory Ltd., Neoplan Polska (currently named Solaris Bus&Coach) and Ganz Transelektro Traction Electrics.

Tenis is suspected of taking bribes in various currencies, but the prosecutor did not reveal the total amount of bribes taken by Tenis. She did say that bribes worth LVL 1.09 million were taken from Evo Bus.

It is not yet known yet when the Prosecutor's Office will charge the remaining six persons involved in the corruption affair.

As reported, the Corruption Prevention Bureau has handed over the so-called Daimler bribery case to Prosecutor's Office, and has requested seven persons be prosecuted.

As the Prosecutor General's Office confirmed to LETA yesterday, it received the case on February 4.

The Prosecutor's Office points out that the case itself is very voluminous, thus only Tenis has been charged yet.

LETA also reported, information received from investigators in the United States indicates that Riga City Council officials feature in three incidences of bribery in connection with the German auto manufacturer Daimler.

The officials received bribes from Daimler so that it would win public transportation purchase tenders in Riga. The Daimler manufactured ''Mercedes Benz'' public transportation buses were eventually purchased by the Riga municipal public transportation company Rigas Satiksme. A total of 117 ''Mercedes Benz'' buses were purchased by the municipal company between 2002 and 2006.

According to case materials from the U.S., between 1998 and 2008 the German concern paid at least USD 56 million (LVL 32.25 million) in bribes in 22 countries, including EUR 4.3 million in Latvia.