SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE BICKOVICS LIVES UP TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L RIGA 000587 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2018 TAGS: PGOV PINR KCOR KJUS LG SUBJECT: SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE BICKOVICS LIVES UP TO REPUTATION REF: A. A. RIGA 322 ¶B. B.RIGA 565 Classified By: Ambassador Charles W. Larson Jr. for reason 1.4(b) ¶1. (C) Summary: New Latvian Supreme Court Chief Justice Ivars Bickovics assured the Ambassador that not much would change in the Court, and outlined his initiatives, such as a new judicial council and a strategy for protecting the salaries of judges. He stated that, if the law could be changed, there were several justices who could be qualified to take the position as the director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (KNAB). Bickovics was critical of Prosecutor General Janis Maizitis, stating that his office was responsible for the indecision surrounding jurisdiction for trying the Lembergs case, and did not expected Maizitis to run for a third term in 2010. Bearing out previous reporting on this change of leadership in the Supreme Court (ref a) Bickovics was critical of the mass media, markedly supportive of the judges and generally open to communication with the U.S. Embassy. End Summary ¶2. (C) On September 18 Ambassador Larson met with Chief Justice Bickovics. Bickovics stated that, although new to the position, he knew the current issues well and did not expect much to change in the Court. He said that he intends to build a judicial council. This organization will produce more unified decisions on court priorities, which judges previously determined individually. Bickovics also touched on the issue of judges, salaries. As a potential budget crisis looms nationally, he was concerned that judicial salaries could suffer. He has spoken with Constitutional Court Chief Justice Kutris, and they both believe they have a strong legal argument for continuing the annual increases that judges have enjoyed until now, even though the government wants to change the law that ensures those increases. -------------- Selection of the KNAB Chief -------------- ¶4. (C) Bickovics stated that he had met with PM Godmanis to discuss possible candidates for the KNAB Chief position. Bickovics characterized a qualified candidate as someone who had experience with criminal cases, investigations and operational activities. He asserted that a change in current law is necessary to allow judges who qualify for the post (or any other appointed post) to go back to being a judge if they eventually leave the KNAB chief job. Bickovics believed there were two or three justices who might qualify. He stated, however, that "the first candidate, no matter whom, would not be confirmed" because of the intense pressure from the mass media. -------------- Prosecutor General -------------- ¶5. (C) Bickovics explained that the Lembergs case "hot potato" (ref b.) was the result of mistakes made by the Prosecutor General's office. He stated that Maizitis should have originally assigned the Lembergs case to the Riga Regional Court, but deferred to the Supreme Court because Maizitis' office "perhaps doubted their competence". Bickovics stated that the Riga Municipal Court is the last stop for the Lembergs case, but offered no timeline for completion. ¶6. (C) Concerning Maizitis himself, Bickovics was less than enthusiastic. He stated that Maizitis, work has been acceptable and that he would stay the remainder of this term (2010) but would not expect him to seek a third. Bickovics believed that the Prosecutor General,s office could improve its investigation techniques, pointing to the investigation of Aivars Lembergs on abuse of office charges (of which Lembergs was acquitted). ¶7. (C) Comment: The conversation with Bickovics was open, positive and tracked with what we were told to expect. Bickovics has taken on the position of the judges, union steward, fighting for their rights and salaries, and, in matters of law, proclaiming that the public must trust the judiciary to make the right decisions. His distrust of the mass media may distance him and his Court from the public, potentially giving the appearance of non-transparency. End Comment LARSON