In February this year, criminal proceedings were launched in Chapter 3 of the Economic Crimes Management Office of the State Police for the deliberate release of false information related to security threats on the Internet site, resulting in an unjustified disturbance to human peace and the work of state and local authorities. A young man was arrested for committing an offence. The investigation into criminal proceedings was completed and the case was referred to the initiation of criminal proceedings.
Chapter 3 of the Office for the Prevention of Economic Crimes of the National Police's Central Criminal Police opened criminal proceedings for the dissemination of apparently false information related to security threats on the Internet site, namely on the Internet site www.aum*****. net has been published in a number of false statements on the situation regarding the risks of distribution of Covid–19 in the territory of Latvia. These statements did not correspond to the truth, since no cases were officially recorded during the period in question. These false statements, which were related to threats to health safety, created a significant sense of excitement and insecurity in society, and hindered the work of national and local authorities in the field of health.
This criminal proceedings were qualified in accordance with the first paragraph of Article 231 of the Criminal Law, in the form of gross public order in obvious disrespect. against society or shamefully, ignoring generally accepted behavioural norms and interfering with human peace and institutional work (hooliganism). Such a crime may be punished by deprivation of liberty for a period of up to two years or by temporary deprivation of liberty or by forced labour, or by a fine and by supervision of probation for a period of up to three years or without it.
Procedural actions were carried out in the framework of criminal proceedings, as well as international cooperation with the competent foreign authorities in the framework of the Budapest Convention, which quickly managed to localise site registration, server location and other information that allowed the identification and localisation of the author of these false messages.
During the investigation, the law guards identified and detained a young man born in 2001 who had carried out these criminal activities, namely creating false messages and placing them on the Internet. The man has been seen by the police in the past for internet fraud. The evidence gathered by provided the grounds for acknowledging the man as a suspect.
During the investigation he was subjected to a non-custodial security measure. on 4 June this year, a decision was taken on the transfer of criminal proceedings to the Prosecutor's Office of the Latgale Suburb of Riga.
Prepared by:
Elina Priedīte
Senior Officer of the State Police's
Public Relations Division
Tel: 67075093
Mob. Tel. 29600629
elina.priedite@vp.gov.lv