Internet, Latvia, Legislation, Technology, USA

As reported, in the middle of July, Calovskis turned to the Constitutional Court, contesting the constitutionality of several provisions in the laws and regulations on extradition of Latvian nationals to other countries.

Calovskis contested the constitutionality of the 2005 Treaty on Extradition between the Republic of Latvia and the United States of America and the relevant law.

The Constitutional Court, however, has concluded that Calovskis' complaint is based on the same factual circumstances and legal grounds as his previous complaint filed on April 12 that was turned down by the court, Lina Kovalevska, aide to the Constitutional Court's chairman, informed LETA.

The Constitutional Court has also concluded that the legal grounds presented in the petition that question the constitutionality of the 2005 Treaty on Extradition between the Republic of Latvia and the United States of America and the relevant law have not changed much and therefore there is no reason to open a case.

LETA reported previously that U.S. law enforcement institutions have brought announced charges against three alleged East European cyber thieves accused of stealing banking information from computers across Europe and the United States, including Calovskis.

The alleged international cyber criminals were responsible for creating and distributing a computer virus that infected over one million computers – at least 40,000 of which were in the United States – and caused millions in losses by, among other things, stealing online banking credentials, the federal prosecutor's office in Manhattan said.

The defendants allegedly used a malicious computer code or malware dubbed the "Gozi Virus" to hack into bank accounts and "steal millions of dollars," stated the indictment against Calovskis, also known as "Miami", who was arrested in Latvia.

Prosecutors say the scam unfolded between 2005 and March 2012 and that the virus was "virtually undetectable in the computers it infected." First, it was implanted in computers across Europe "on a vast scale," then around 2010 it spread to the United States, the Calovskis indictment said.