Judiciary

Minister of Justice Edvards Smiltēns, at a meeting with the management of the Riga City Court, discussed reducing the courts' workload: standardised, technical and uncontested cases are planned to be examined in written or automated proceedings while retaining human oversight, letting judges focus on contested cases. The Riga City Court employs 100 judges and receives around 10,000 civil cases a year, more than 2,000 criminal cases, around 1,300 administrative offence cases and more than 125,000 uncontested civil and Land Register cases. The misuse of AI to draft needlessly complex procedural documents was also discussed.

On 2 September the Ministry of Justice held a discussion, "Investment Environment and Legal Protection in Latvia", on protracted civil and commercial cases that freeze company assets and hit small and medium-sized enterprises particularly hard in debt recovery. Proposed solutions: simplify civil procedure rules, strengthen judges' economic competence, improve the case preparation stage, limit repeated adjournments of hearings, improve enforcement of judgments and simplify recovery of uncontested claims, as well as widen the jurisdiction of the Economic Affairs Court and introduce commercial-case specialisation at the appellate level. Representatives of the courts, the prosecutor's office, business and the financial sector took part.

On 9 September 2026 the Insolvency Control Service is holding the conference "Insolvency Transformation" on the sector's future during the transition period: the Service will cease operating as an independent institution on 30 September 2026, and from 1 October its functions pass to the Ministry of Justice and the Court Administration. On the agenda: disbursement of funds in insolvency proceedings, supervision of proceedings, the redesign of the Electronic Insolvency Records System and the effectiveness of board members' liability. In-person attendance is by invitation, with a live stream on the Ministry of Justice's YouTube channel.

On 3 September 2026 the Saeima convenes for the first sitting of its autumn session with 20 items on the agenda. Amendments to the Notariate Law simplifying notaries' work processes and reducing the administrative burden are scheduled for the third reading, and amendments to the Law on Judicial Power to strengthen judicial self-governance and improve the work of the courts for the second reading. In the final reading: amendments restricting the use of identity documents by persons declared wanted, and amendments to the National Security Law. Draft laws on preventing conflicts of interest in collegial institutions and on electoral rules are also being referred to committees.

On 2 September 2026, at the Ministry of Justice's discussion on the investment environment and legal protection, Andris Spore, Chairman of the Council of Sworn Bailiffs of Latvia (LZTI), stressed that it is not enough for a business to obtain a favourable judgment after several years if its enforcement drags on. The problems named were protracted recovery after judgment, abuse of procedural rights to delay enforcement and shortcomings in the mechanisms for realising security; he proposed simplifying and speeding up the enforcement of uncontested obligations and reforming not only litigation but also the enforcement of rulings.

On 2 September 2026 sworn attorneys Ramona Miglāne and Agris Bitāns and assistant attorney Zelma Rence took part in the Ministry of Justice's discussion "Investment Protection and Litigation: Challenges and Solutions in Civil Cases", presenting proposals to improve the regulatory framework. The Latvian Bar Council stresses that investment protection is determined not only by the quality of substantive law but also by the effectiveness of procedural tools, the length of proceedings, the proportionality of costs and the speed of enforcement of rulings; timely interim protection, effective case management and greater availability of case law would strengthen investor confidence.

The Insolvency Control Service (MKD) has announced the conference "Insolvency Transformation" on 9 September 2026 at the Ministry of Justice (10:00–14:30, with a live stream on YouTube), held ahead of the Service's closure on 30 September and the transfer of its functions to the Ministry of Justice and the Court Administration from 1 October. Four panel discussions: guarantee fund payouts and financing of proceedings; insolvency supervision and AML requirements; development of the Electronic Insolvency Records System (EMUS); the effectiveness of board members' liability as a creditor protection tool. Participants include MKD Director Baiba Banga, Ministry of Justice representatives, judges, administrators and creditor representatives.

The Insolvency Control Service (MKD) has created a website section, "Insolvency Transformation", on the Service's liquidation and the redistribution of its functions under Cabinet of Ministers Order No. 138 of 13 March 2026. The MKD's last working day is 30 September 2026; from 1 October, supervision of administrators, examination of complaints and disciplinary matters pass to the Ministry of Justice, while administration of the employee claims guarantee fund passes to the Court Administration; administrators' qualification examinations will be organised by the Latvian Association of Insolvency Administrators. Pending cases continue to be handled by the MKD until 30 September.

The Ministry of Justice is assessing the workload problem of Land Register judges: at the start of 2026, 13 of the 68 positions for judges specialising in Land Register cases were vacant, cases were handled by 55 judges, and Land Register cases make up around 74% of their workload. Transferring some Land Register functions to the forthcoming position of court lawyer is being considered; no decisions have been taken yet, but without changes it will be difficult to maintain the level of service going forward.

From 1 September 2026 the Riga Regional Court operates three panels instead of the previous two: the 1st Civil Case Panel (17 judges, headed by Deputy Chair Ilze Celmiņa), the 2nd Civil Case Panel (16 judges, headed by Deputy Chair Agnese Veita, which also includes Court Chair Māris Vīgants) and the Criminal Case Panel. The changes are provided for in the court's development strategy for 2024–2029 to organise the appellate examination of civil cases more effectively and promote uniform case law.

The Court Administration informs that from 9 September 2026 the Jelgava courthouse of the Administrative District Court is moving from Atmodas iela 19 to new premises at Dambja iela 12, Jelgava. The court's contact details are available on the tiesas.lv portal.

The Council of Sworn Bailiffs of Latvia (LZTI) announces that official certificate No. 57 of sworn bailiff Gunita Špēle of Riga Regional Court district No. 73 and assistant's certificate No. 30 of her assistant Maija Celma have been declared invalid. The certificates were annulled in accordance with the Cabinet of Ministers regulations on the types of certificates and the procedure for their use.

Rūdolfs Eņģelis, sworn attorney at Sorainen and Chairman of the Supervision and Control Committee of the Latvian Bar Council, explains in an interview with LV portāls that following the Moneyval assessment the overall level of ML/TF risk in the legal profession has decreased. The AML/CTF Law's requirements apply to fewer than half of practising attorneys; the highest risks are concentrated in large commercial transactions and transactions involving funds from sanctioned jurisdictions. The Bar Council carries out on-site and remote inspections, a sectoral risk assessment has been completed and the internal control guidelines have been updated; the new single EU AML/CTF regulation and supervisory structure will pose a challenge.

An interview with sworn attorney Eņģelis on the legal profession's risks in the field of anti-money laundering following the Moneyval assessment. The AML/CTF Law's requirements apply to around 500 of 1,400 attorneys; the greatest risks lie in large commercial transactions, especially real estate and cash transactions. The Council of Sworn Attorneys carries out on-site and remote inspections, and since 2020 annual professional development on AML/CTF and sanctions has been mandatory for attorneys; a new sectoral risk assessment was completed in spring 2026. The new EU AML/CTF regulation and the centralised supervisory authority will require additional capacity.

The Council of Sworn Bailiffs of Latvia (LZTI) informs that sworn bailiff Gunita Špēle ceased performing her duties in Riga Regional Court district No. 73 on 31 August 2026; the district's case files are taken over by sworn bailiff Nataļja Bekasova (previously district No. 67). All amounts payable to district No. 73 are henceforth to be transferred to Treasury account LV34TREL919905400200B; parties to enforcement cases should contact N. Bekasova in Riga.

Justice Minister Edvards Smiltēns convened a meeting with state agencies and cybersecurity experts on rising cyber threats in the justice sector. He stressed that under the National Cybersecurity Law, managing risk and ensuring resilience of critical services is the responsibility of an organisation's leadership, not just IT staff. The Ministry committed to strengthening inter-agency cooperation and treating security audits as an ongoing process rather than a one-off exercise.

A lawyer explains that in civil and administrative cases, the court must be notified of counsel's involvement at the start of the hearing, before the case is examined on the merits, by submitting a power of attorney or order; similar rules apply in criminal cases before trial begins. No fixed advance notice deadline is set by law.

Justice Minister Edvards Smiltēns met with Land Register judges to discuss future development models, including a proposal to shift some judicial functions to a new "court jurist" post. Land Register cases make up about 74% of the workload of specialised judges, and 13 of 68 posts are currently vacant. The Ministry pledged to compare several reform models on legal certainty, cost and service quality, with no final decision yet made.

In case No. SKA-139/2026, the Senate overturned an appellate ruling and held that a former judge whose term ended due to reaching the maximum age limit has no right to severance pay. The Senate found the legislator deliberately excluded this ground from judges' compensation rules, unlike other dismissal grounds for state officials; the Justice Ministry had earlier refused payment.

Justice ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia met in Tallinn to discuss court-system digitalisation, data exchange between institutions and the use of AI in judicial processes, stressing that decisions remain with judges. They backed expanding the European Public Prosecutor's Office to cover serious EU sanctions breaches. The states agreed to continue coordinating on cross-border crime.

Justice ministers of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia met in Tallinn to discuss cooperation on protecting democratic institutions and the rule of law. Latvia's minister stressed that EU requirements should be transposed proportionately, avoiding unnecessary administrative burden on business. No specific legislative changes were announced.

It emerged the CSDD cyberattack exploited an application the agency managed itself, outside telecom operator Tet's security contract. The Economy Minister said Tet covered only network infrastructure, and a transition period had let systems run without mandatory safeguards. Both sides acknowledged the need for closer cybersecurity coordination.

A cyberattack on CSDD exposed 18 years of payment data for 1.2 million residents and ~200,000 businesses. The PM sharply criticized CSDD for failing mandatory cybersecurity requirements, including missing two-factor authentication; the Data State Inspectorate must assess consequences by August 31. Possible foreign involvement is being investigated.

The President said that after the massive CSDD data breach affecting 1.2 million residents and ~200,000 businesses, the agency's leadership should not remain in office given the loss of public trust. He called the attack a serious national-security threat; State Police opened a criminal investigation.

The LTRK Arbitration Court has opened applications for a member of its arbitration council, with the call also published in the Jurista Vārds journal. Interested candidates can contact LTRK to learn the requirements and application procedure. The announcement points to a renewal of the governing body of the LTRK arbitration court.

On August 18 the Court Administration published performance data for the state-guaranteed legal aid system for the first half of 2026. It received 668 applications for legal aid (up 8.3% year-on-year), funded with over €1.03 million from the state budget. The report also covers hotline calls, in-person visits, and the network of providers — 97 agreements involving 73 sworn advocates and other specialists across 30 municipalities.