Progressives party reports former Riga deputy Mārtiņš Eņģelis to police over alleged abuse of a minor

The Latvian party "Progresīvie" (Progressives) has contacted the State Police with information concerning former party member and Riga City Council deputy Mārtiņš Eņģelis over allegations of improper conduct involving a minor. At the same time, the party disabled the comment function on its own public statement about the case.

How events unfolded

According to the party, it first received a warning signal about possible inappropriate conduct by Eņģelis and subsequently requested that he resign his council mandate. After Eņģelis left the Riga City Council and the Progressives party, the party received an anonymous email containing allegations that the former deputy may have violated the Criminal Law. Upon receiving this information, the party decided to report the matter to police.

Youth organization's response

"Protests," a youth organization affiliated with the Progressives, issued a strongly worded statement on social media, saying that using a position of power to lure young people into sexual relationships is incompatible with the party's values. The organization pledged to contact all party structures to determine what information the party had and whether any attempt was made to cover up the alleged wrongdoing.

Police and media reports

The State Police told the LETA news agency it could not confirm or deny specific submissions against named individuals, but stressed that reports of possible criminal offenses, especially against minors, are thoroughly investigated. The newspaper "Diena" reported that Eņģelis may have had an intimate relationship with a minor orphan, who has filed a complaint with the Riga Orphan's Court; the complaint was forwarded to both the police and the Minister of Justice.

On September 10, the Riga City Council confirmed the early termination of Eņģelis's mandate as deputy. He had served on the City Development Committee and the Housing and Environment Committee, and since January of this year had chaired the Youth Affairs Advisory Commission. In September, Eņģelis announced he was stepping down early due to prolonged burnout, which he said was caused by a heavy workload and difficult changes in his living situation.