Police refer man for prosecution over forced labour and sham marriage

The State Police have referred a criminal case to prosecutors for charges against a Latvian national accused of recruiting foreign women to work on a farm and subjecting them to forced labour, LSM reports. He also allegedly arranged a sham marriage to help one of the women obtain residence rights.

Police received information from a non-governmental organisation about the possible exploitation of two foreign nationals at a Latvian farm.

Investigators found that the man, born in 1966, recruited the women for financial gain and forced them to work. One woman was deprived of her identity document, neither was paid for her work, and they were not provided with suitable living conditions. Police said the women were placed in circumstances in which they had no other real and acceptable option but to submit to forced labour exploitation.

One woman worked at the farm in 2023 and the other in 2025.

Later, the man allegedly worked with another man, born in 1958, to arrange a sham marriage between one of the workers and another person. The arrangement was intended to help the foreign national obtain residence rights in Latvia, another European Union member state, a European Economic Area country or Switzerland.

Investigators said they had gathered sufficient evidence of criminal offences. The 1966-born man was formally suspected of human trafficking and knowingly providing an opportunity for unlawful residence in Latvia for financial gain or for two or more people. The 1958-born man was suspected of abusing the provision of an opportunity to legally obtain residence rights in Latvia, another EU member state, an EEA country or Switzerland.

Both suspects were placed under non-custodial security measures.