Latvian parliament committee warns MP Andrejs Judins

Latvia’s parliamentary Mandate, Ethics and Submissions Committee has issued a written warning to MP Andrejs Judins over an alleged breach of the deputies’ code of ethics, LSM reported. The complaint concerned his alleged inappropriate conduct towards a parliament employee.

The committee’s decision was made by a majority in a closed meeting and was not unanimous. Judins, who chairs the parliament’s Legal Affairs Committee, told the LETA news agency that the interaction with the employee had been strictly work-related. He said the decision had damaged his reputation and was made without checking the facts.

Judins said he plans to take the matter to the Constitutional Court because the committee’s decision cannot be appealed. He denied committing an offence and said political opponents were using the situation against him.

The case stemmed from a submission by MP Linda Liepiņa alleging a possible breach of the ethics code. Liepiņa said she had received information about the situation from the employee and passed it on, but had not witnessed the incident herself.

Before the closed session, committee members debated whether the case should be heard publicly. Some argued that the submission contained sensitive information and personal data. Judins said he did not believe the meeting needed to be closed, while calling for the employee’s identity to be protected.