Illness forces court to postpone hearing in Lubka murder case

The Latgale Regional Court in Rēzekne postponed a hearing in the murder case of businessman and politician Andris Lubka after defendant Igor Hait’s health suddenly worsened, LSM reported. The next hearing is scheduled for December 17.

The court had planned to hear a witness and decide whether to conclude the judicial investigation. Hait joined the hearing remotely from Daugavgrīva Prison. The witness, who is also the second defendant, Konstantins Belokurovs, was absent because of health problems.

The hearing began with the defence requesting that the court panel be disqualified. The request was rejected as unfounded. Prosecutor Sandis Brasla said objections to an official’s actions in criminal proceedings must be appealed through the procedure set by law.

Lubka, the owner of the Lūsēni farm and a member of the Ludza municipal council, was shot near a K Senukai store in Rēzekne on November 17, 2023. In February, a first-instance court sentenced Hait to 18 years in prison and ordered him to pay 100,000 euros in compensation for the victims’ moral harm.