Court rejects defence motions in Bunkus murder case

Riga Regional Court has rejected all defence motions in the murder case of insolvency administrator Mārtiņš Bunkus, including requests to remove a judge and the prosecutor, LSM reported. The court also rejected a request to change the detention measure imposed on defendant Mihails Uļmans.

The decisions mean the trial can continue next week with questioning of a witness called by the defence.

At the previous hearing, Uļmans’s lawyer Egons Rusanovs sought the removal of Judge Signe Kalniņa and Prosecutor Aldis Lasmanis. He argued that both had taken part in another criminal case in which the court decided on sentences for people who testified at first instance in the Bunkus murder case.

The court considered the motions in a closed hearing and publicly announced only its decisions. Judge Guntars Kveska said the requests were rejected because the court did not consider the two criminal cases to be connected. He also said the motions were intended to cast doubt on the credibility and admissibility of the testimony.

The court said the testimony should be assessed together with other evidence, which will be examined during the further trial. The decision cannot be appealed.

Rusanovs said he respected the court’s decision but had not yet seen the full ruling. Lasmanis described the defence’s unsuccessful attempt to remove him as recognition of his work.

The court also considered documents indicating changes in Uļmans’s health, which were submitted in support of a request to change his detention. That request was rejected as well.

Lasmanis said there were no grounds to cancel or change the detention measure because doing so could disrupt the trial process.