Court to try former minister Uzulnieks over 3.09 per mille drive

Former welfare minister Reinis Uzulnieks will face trial for driving with a blood alcohol level above 1.5 per mille, LSM reports. His car has been seized.

A prosecutor from the Pierīga Prosecutor’s Office sent the criminal case to Riga District Court on October 13. Uzulnieks was stopped by municipal police in Ropaži Municipality in September 2026. A breath test recorded 3.09 per mille.

Uzulnieks fully admits guilt and says he regrets what he did. His car was seized during the criminal proceedings to ensure the legally prescribed special confiscation of property.

He was detained on September 12 and lost his ministerial post. He was expelled from the Latvian Farmers’ Union but retained the top position on the Union of Greens and Farmers list in Zemgale. The Union of Greens and Farmers did not enter the 15th Saeima.

Uzulnieks is charged under Section 262, Paragraph 1.1 of the Criminal Law. The maximum penalty is one year in prison. Prosecutors note that a person is presumed innocent unless guilt is established according to the procedures set out in criminal procedure law.