On 20 September, the Supreme Court hosted a meeting of the senators of the Department of Criminal Cases of the Senate (Supreme Court of Latvia) and the presidents of the Collegiums of Criminal Cases of Regional Courts with an aim to promote uniform case-law in criminal cases.

Prior to the meeting, the Department of Criminal Cases had invited each Collegium of Criminal Cases of Regional Courts to submit three topical legal issues on which they would like to receive Senate’s clarification. Thus, the meeting mainly focused on these issues.

The issues raised related to the application of both the Criminal Procedure Law and the Criminal Law. There were also questions related to the content of rulings of an appellate court. For example, as to the assessment of arguments of an appeal and a protest in appeal, the compensation for damages, various nuances of setting aside a judgment of a court of first instance.

In previous years, the Department of Criminal Cases met with judges of each Regional Court’s Collegium of Criminal Cases separately, but this time, in order to promote uniform case-law more effectively, the meeting was held with heads of all Regional Courts' Collegiums of Criminal Cases.

The senators of the Senate’s Department of Criminal Cases met with Silva Reinholde, the president of the Collegium of Criminal Cases of Kurzeme Regional Court, Elfa Driba, the president of the Collegium of Criminal Cases of Vidzeme Regional Court, Andris Vilmanis, the president of the Collegium of Criminal Cases of Latgale Regional Court, Raimonds Rinčs, the president of the Collegium of Criminal Cases of Zemgale Regional Court, and Iveta Vīgante, a judge of Riga Regional Court.

Anita Poļakova, the chair of the Senate’s Department of Criminal Cases, acknowledges that this format of exchange between cassation and appellate court instances is successful enough, and she hopes that in the future similar discussions with Regional Courts could become yet another tradition of the Department.

 

Information prepared by

Rasma Zvejniece, Head of the Division of Communication of the Supreme Court

E-mail: rasma.zvejniece@at.gov.lv, telephone: +371 67020396, +371 28652211