During the week, at the Grebņeva Border Control Point, border guards detained two bribe-givers — citizens of Ukraine and Kazakhstan — who attempted to bribe the border guards.
On Sunday, November 2, while performing the duties of a checkpoint operator at the Grebņeva Border Control Point, a Ukrainian citizen approached a border guard, wishing to enter the border control point outside the time slot registered in the Electronic Queue Reservation System and to cross the border faster.
When addressing the border guard again, the Ukrainian citizen made an offer to pay the border guard so that she could cross the border faster.
On Thursday, November 6, at the Grebņeva Border Control Point, a lorry driver — a citizen of Kazakhstan — approached a border guard performing the duties of a checkpoint operator, wishing to enter the territory of the border control point and cross the border outside the time slot registered in the Electronic Queue Reservation System.
The citizen of Kazakhstan offered the border guard €100 as a bribe so that the border guard would allow border crossing outside the time slot registered in the Electronic Queue Reservation System.
Criminal proceedings were initiated against the citizen of Ukraine and Kazakhstan, for a bribery pursuant to Section 323(1) of the Criminal Law, the persons were recognised as suspects, and the criminal proceedings were handed over to the South Latgale Prosecution Office under urgent procedures for the initiation of criminal prosecution. A prosecutor's penal order has been imposed on both persons at the South Latgale Prosecution Office, whereby the men who committed the offence will be fined in the amount of 10 minimum monthly wages, i.e. 7 000 euros.
Bribery qualifies as a serious crime punishable in accordance with the Latvian Criminal Law by the deprivation of liberty for a period of up to five years, or temporary deprivation of liberty, or probationary supervision, or community service, or a fine in an amount of ten up to two thousand minimum wages specified in the Republic of Latvia.