Raimonds Skuruls case: Latvian Supreme Court reviews extortion conviction

The Supreme Court of Latvia is reviewing whether to initiate cassation proceedings in the case of Raimonds Skuruls, who was convicted of extortion related to a security vulnerability discovered in the Road Safety Directorate (CSDD) IT system.

Skuruls was previously found guilty by the Vidzeme Regional Court and sentenced to a fine of 4,290 euros. The conviction stems from an incident in 2018 where Skuruls allegedly demanded 1,000 euros after discovering a flaw in the vehicle and driver registry. The court determined that Skuruls' actions constituted extortion because he threatened to publish news about the vulnerability in the media if payment was not received, rather than responsibly reporting the flaw to the CSDD.

Skuruls has challenged the verdict, arguing that the vulnerability was an internal fact already known to the CSDD and that his intention was to highlight security issues rather than exploit them. He also contends that previous court decisions were inconsistent and that the legal basis for his criminal actions has not been adequately justified.