Prosecutor general challenges timber decisions in Constitutional Court

Prosecutor General Armīns Meisters has asked Latvia’s Constitutional Court to annul two government protocol decisions linked to the so-called timber industry case, LSM reported.

Meisters submitted the application on August 20, the Prosecutor’s Office said. He is asking the court to declare the two provisions invalid from the date they were issued.

The provisions instructed the Ministry of Agriculture in 2024 to carry out and continue for one year price adjustments to long term contracts signed by Latvijas valsts meži for the supply of second grade conifer sawlogs.

“This is a means of ensuring the rule of law that the Prosecutor’s Office is using to achieve compliance with the law,” Meisters said. He added that there had been no previous precedent for such action and that the application was the next legal step to have the issue assessed by an independent court.

The application argues that the government’s protocol decisions conflict with Latvia’s Constitution, national laws and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the government issued the decisions without an appropriate legal delegation to dispose of a public entity’s property at a lower price than provided for in civil contracts.

On June 16, Meisters sent the government a prosecutor’s protest demanding that the provisions be cancelled from the moment they were adopted. The government rejected the demands and informed the Prosecutor General’s Office in a letter dated July 27.

After reviewing the arguments in the government’s letter, the Prosecutor’s Office concluded that the government’s action had not been justified. Meisters therefore applied to the court within the deadline specified in the protest, seeking the annulment of the disputed provisions.

The Prosecutor General’s Office began criminal proceedings in March over possible criminal offences involving unlawful support provided to timber companies, allegedly causing losses to Latvijas valsts meži. The proceedings concern 10 people. On May 14, former Agriculture Minister and Green and Farmers Union leader Armands Krauze was temporarily detained in connection with the case.