Text consolidated by Valsts valodas centrs (State Language Centre) with amending laws of:
18 May 2000 [shall come into force from 15 June 2000];
1 June 2000 [shall come into force from 28 June 2000];
20 June 2001 [shall come into force from 12 July 2001];
25 April 2002 [shall come into force from 23 May 2002];
20 June 2002 [shall come into force from 1 November 2002];
17 October 2002 [shall come into force from 20 November 2002];
31 October 2002 [shall come into force from 1 January 2003];
10 April 2003 [shall come into force from 14 May 2003];
12 June 2003[shall come into force from 15 July 2003];
11 December 2003 [shall come into force from 2 January 2004];
18 December 2003 [shall come into force from 1 January 2004];
15 January 2004 [shall come into force from 17 January 2004];
22 January 2004 [shall come into force from 1 February 2004];
12 February 2004 [shall come into force from 1 January 2005];
29 April 2004 [shall come into force from 26 May 2004];
20 May 2004 [shall come into force from 18 June 2004];
27 May 2004 [shall come into force from 24 June 2004];
16 December 2004 [shall come into force from 11 January 2005];
28 April 2005 [shall come into force from 1 June 2006];
5 May 2005 [shall come into force from 1 October 2005];
26 May 2005 [shall come into force from 24 June 2005];
28 September 2005 [shall come into force from 1 October 2005];
6 October 2005 [shall come into force from 3 November 2005];
8 December 2005 [shall come into force from 5 January 2006];
16 February 2006 [shall come into force from 22 March 2006];
12 October 2006 [shall come into force from 15 November 2006];
14 December 2006 [shall come into force from 1 January 2007];
21 June 2007 [shall come into force from 19 July 2007];
8 November 2007 [shall come into force from 1 September 2008];
13 December 2007 [shall come into force from 12 January 2008];
13 December 2007 [shall come into force from 12 January 2008];
30 October 2008 [shall come into force from 27 November 2008];
21 May 2009 [shall come into force from 1 July 2009];
16 June 2009 [shall come into force from 1 July 2009];
10 September 2009 [shall come into force from 14 October 2009];
19 November 2009 [shall come into force from 23 December 2009];
21 October 2010 [shall come into force from 1 January 2011];
2 December 2010 [shall come into force from 1 January 2011];
16 June 2011 [shall come into force from 13 July 2011];
8 July 2011 [shall come into force from 1 October 2011];
8 September 2011 [shall come into force from 4 October 2011];
1 December 2011 [shall come into force from 1 January 2012];
13 December 2012 [shall come into force from 1 April 2013];
14 March 2013 [shall come into force from 1 April 2013];
20 March 2014 [shall come into force from 3 April 2014];
3 April 2014 [shall come into force from 9 April 2014];
15 May 2014 [shall come into force from 14 June 2014];
25 September 2014 [shall come into force from 29 October 2014];
16 October 2014 [shall come into force from 1 February 2015];
15 January 2015 [shall come into force from 1 February 2015];
12 February 2015 [shall come into force from 19 February 2015].
If a whole or part of a section has been amended, the date of the amending law appears in square brackets at the end of the section. If a whole section, paragraph or clause has been deleted, the date of the deletion appears in square brackets beside the deleted section, paragraph or clause.
The Saeima1 has adopted and
the President has proclaimed the following Law:
The Criminal Law
General Part
Chapter I
General Provisions
Section 1. Basis of Criminal Liability
(1) Only a person who is guilty of committing a criminal offence, that is, one who deliberately (intentionally) or through negligence has committed an offence which is set out in this Law and which has all the constituent elements of a criminal offence, may be held criminally liable and punished.
(2) To be found guilty of committing a criminal offence and to impose a criminal punishment may be done by a judgment of a court and in accordance with law.
(3) In the cases provided for by law, a person shall be found guilty of committing a criminal offence and a punishment determined also by a public prosecutor by drawing up a penal order.
(4) An offence shall not be considered criminal, applying the law by analogy.
(5) Nobody shall be tried or punished again for an offence, for which he or she has already been acquitted or punished by an adjudication rendered in accordance with the procedures laid down in law and in effect in a criminal case or a case of administrative violation. The abovementioned shall not exclude re-examination of a case in accordance with the law if new circumstances have been established or if significant violation of material or procedural norms, which could affect the outcome of the case, has been made in the previous proceedings.
[28 September 2005; 13 December 2012; 15 May 2014]
Section 2. Application of The Criminal Law in the Territory of Latvia
(1) The liability of a person who has committed a criminal offence in the territory of Latvia shall be determined in accordance with this Law.
(2) If a foreign diplomatic representative, or other person, who, in accordance with the laws in force or international agreements binding upon the Republic of Latvia, is not subject to the jurisdiction of the Republic of Latvia, has committed a criminal offence in the territory of Latvia, the issue of this person being held criminally liable shall be decided by diplomatic procedures or in accordance with bilateral agreements of the states.
Section 3. Applicability of The Criminal Law to Aircraft, and Sea and River Vessels Outside the Territory of Latvia
A person who has committed a criminal offence outside the territory of Latvia, on an aircraft, or a sea or river vessel or other floating means of conveyance, if this means of conveyance is registered in the Republic of Latvia and if it is not provided otherwise in international agreements binding upon the Republic of Latvia, shall be held liable in accordance with this Law.
Section 4. Applicability of The Criminal Law Outside the Territory of Latvia
(1) Latvian citizens, non-citizens and foreigners who have a permanent residence permit for the Republic of Latvia, shall be held liable, in accordance with this Law, in the territory of Latvia for an offence committed in the territory of another state or outside the territory of any state irrespective of whether it has been recognised as criminal and punishable in the territory of commitment.
(11) For an offence committed by a natural person acting in the interests of a legal person registered in the Republic of Latvia, for the benefit of the person or as a result of insufficient supervision or control thereof in the territory of another state or outside the territory of any state irrespective of whether it has been recognised as criminal and punishable in the territory of commitment the legal person may be applied the coercive measures provided for in this Law.
(2) Soldiers of the Republic of Latvia who are located outside the territory of Latvia shall be held liable for criminal offences in accordance with this Law, unless it is provided otherwise in international agreements binding upon the Republic of Latvia.
(3) Foreigners who do not have permanent residence permits for the Republic of Latvia and who have committed serious or especially serious crimes in the territory of another state which have been directed against the Republic of Latvia or against the interests of its inhabitants, shall be held criminally liable in accordance with this Law irrespective of the laws of the state in which the crime has been committed, if they have not been held criminally liable or committed to stand trial in accordance with the laws of the state where the crime was committed.
(4) Foreigners who do not have a permanent residence permit for the Republic of Latvia and who have committed a criminal offence in the territory of another state or outside the territory of any state, in the cases provided for in international agreements binding upon the Republic of Latvia, irrespective of the laws of the state in which the offence has been committed, shall be held liable in accordance with this Law if they have not been held criminally liable for such offence or committed to stand trial in the territory of another state.
[17 October 2002; 16 December 2004; 21 May 2009; 21 October 2010; 25 September 2014]
Section 5. Time when The Criminal Law is In Force
(1) The criminality and punishability of an offence (act or failure to act) are determined by the law, which was in force at the time the offence was committed.
(2) A law which recognises an offence as not punishable, reduces the punishment or otherwise is beneficial to a person, as long as it is not provided otherwise by the applicable law, has retrospective effect, that is, it applies to offences which have been committed prior to the applicable law coming into force, as well as to a person who is serving a punishment or has served a punishment but regarding whom conviction remains in effect.
(3) A law, which recognises an offence as punishable, increases the punishment, or is otherwise not beneficial to a person, does not have retrospective effect.
(4) A person, who has committed a crime against humanity, a crime against peace, a war crime or has participated in genocide, shall be punishable irrespective of the time when such offence was committed.
Chapter II
Criminal Offences
Section 6. Concept of a Criminal Offence
(1) A harmful offence (act or failure to act) committed deliberately (intentionally) or through negligence, provided for in this Law, and for the commission of which criminal punishment is set out, shall be considered a criminal offence.
(2) An offence (act or failure to act) which has the constituent elements of an offence set out in this Law, but has been committed in circumstances, which exclude criminal liability, shall not be considered criminal.
[13 December 2012]
Section 7. Classification of Criminal Offences
(1) Criminal offences shall be divided into criminal violations and crimes according to the nature and harm of the threat to the interests of a person or the society. Crimes shall be divided as follows: less serious crimes, serious crimes and especially serious crimes.
(2) A criminal violation is an offence for which this Law provides for deprivation of liberty for a term exceeding fifteen days, but not exceeding three months (temporary deprivation of liberty), or a type of lesser punishment.
(3) A less serious crime is an intentional offence for which this Law provides for deprivation of liberty for a term exceeding three months but not exceeding three years, as well as an offence, which has been committed through negligence and for which this Law provides for deprivation of liberty for a term up to eight years.
(4) A serious crime is an intentional offence for which this Law provides for deprivation of liberty for a term exceeding three years but not exceeding eight years, as well as an offence, which has been committed through negligence and for which this Law provides for deprivation of liberty for a term exceeding eight years.
(5) An especially serious crime is an intentional offence for which this Law provides for deprivation of liberty for a term exceeding eight years or life imprisonment.
(6) If this Law provides for deprivation of liberty for a term up to five years for a crime, also a type of lesser punishment may be provided for therein for the relevant crime.
[21 May 2009; 1 December 2011; 13 December 2012]
Section 8. Forms of Guilt
(1) Only a person who has committed a criminal offence deliberately (intentionally) or through negligence may be found guilty of it.
(2) In determining the form of guilt of a person who has committed a criminal offence, the mental state of the person in relation to the objective elements of the criminal offence must be established.
Section 9. Commission of a Criminal Offence Deliberately (Intentionally)
(1) A criminal offence shall be considered to have been committed deliberately (intentionally) if the person has committed it with a direct or indirect intent.
(2) A criminal offence shall be considered to have been committed with a direct intent if the person has been aware of the harm caused by his or her act or failure to act and has knowingly committed it or also been aware of the harm caused by his or her act or failure to act, foreseen the harmful consequences of the offence and has desired them.
(3) A criminal offence shall be considered to have been committed with an indirect intent if the person has been aware of the harm caused by his or her act or failure to act, foreseen the harmful consequences of the offence and, although has not desired such consequences, has knowingly allowed them to result.
[13 December 2012]
Section 10. Commission of a Criminal Offence through Negligence
(1) A criminal offence shall be considered to be committed through negligence if the person has committed it through criminal self-reliance or criminal neglect.
(2) A criminal offence shall be considered to have been committed through criminal self-reliance if the person has foreseen the possibility that the harmful consequences of his or her act or failure to act would result and nevertheless carelessly relied on these being prevented.