Andris Ameriks bribery case to enter court debates in November

Court debates are scheduled to begin on November 6 at the Economic Court regarding a criminal case against Andris Ameriks, the former deputy mayor of Riga. Ameriks is accused of requesting a large-scale bribe in a group following a prior agreement.

The indictment alleges that while serving as deputy mayor, Ameriks, alongside former Riga mayor and current European Parliament member Nils Ušakovs, conspired to solicit a bribe from Aleksandrs Brandavs. Brandavs is the owner of the passenger transport company ‘Rīgas mikroautobusu satiksme’ (RMS).

According to the prosecution, in September 2017, the officials proposed regulatory amendments that would allow RMS minibuses to offer the same passenger fare discounts as the state-owned ‘Rīgas satiksme’. In exchange for these changes, which would increase RMS revenue and passenger numbers, the officials allegedly requested a bribe amounting to 50% of the Riga City Council funding paid to the company based on those discounts.