As part of the criminal proceedings launched in Latvia over the recently published materials in the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the Valsts policija is preparing legal assistance requests to be sent to US law enforcement authorities, Police Chief Armands Ruks said in an interview with Latvian Television’s programme Rīta panorāma.
The police hope to receive more detailed information about the events in question in order to work with specific facts. Otherwise, the investigation risks becoming mere “groping in the dark,” Ruks said. He called on individuals and organisations who possess concrete, fact-based information about the involvement of Latvian residents in the Epstein case to contact the police, assuring confidentiality and anonymity.
Ruks acknowledged that investigating the Epstein case in Latvia will not be easy. It is not a routine matter, as it involves events that took place roughly 20 years ago. He noted that at the time Riga had a reputation as a sex tourism hub, with prostitution visibly present in the streets at night. Since then, significant improvements have been made, although much activity has shifted to the online environment.
He also expressed surprise that during the period when the events described in the Epstein files may have occurred, Latvia did not receive any requests for legal assistance or cooperation from US authorities. “Of course, there may have been other cooperation mechanisms that we are not yet aware of, given that we are talking about events that could be 20 or more years old,” Ruks said.
Latvia’s Prosecutor General Armīns Meisters told Latvian Radio that
initial communication with US law enforcement suggests cooperation will be possible,
as the US side has expressed willingness to collaborate.
“In such cases, the legal assistance or cooperation channel is sufficiently fast,” Meisters said, estimating that Latvia could receive the requested information within two to three months.
At the same time, Latvian authorities will continue analysing publicly available materials. Three prosecutors are involved in the case, including one specialising in international cooperation and another with experience in combating human trafficking.
As previously reported, the State Police launched criminal proceedings on 4 February, in coordination with the prosecution service, within the Organised Crime and Serious and Serial Crime Investigation Department. The case concerns materials published on the official website of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regarding Epstein’s criminal network and the recruitment of multiple individuals, including the possible recruitment of Latvian nationals to the United States for sexual exploitation.
The criminal case has been classified under the Criminal Law article on human trafficking.
According to the published documents, Latvia is mentioned more than 500 times and Riga more than 800 times in various contexts. The files reportedly include the names of several Latvian models and modelling agencies, as well as personal correspondence between Epstein and Latvian girls.
Read also: Latvian police open criminal proceedings over latest Epstein case materials
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