Two children died in Krustkalni: lawyer sharply criticises police investigation quality
The family's representative, lawyer Karina Landmesere, pointed out significant shortcomings in the investigation of the fire that occurred in Krustkalni at a press conference. Police reject the accusations.
Lawyer: "We felt like serial killers"
Google News LV — Crime (lv) reports that on Wednesday at a press conference, the family's representative, lawyer Karina Landmesere, sharply criticised the work of the State Police in investigating the criminal case of a fire that occurred in Krustkalni, Kekavas municipality. Two children died in the fire, while the children's mother and another child were injured. Police reject the lawyer's accusations.
"We were controlled and monitored – we felt like serial killers," said Landmesere, describing cooperation with investigators. In her view, familiarisation with the case materials at Baložu police station on 19 August was humiliating – the lawyer was not allowed to copy documents. One of the employees went through the case and read all the content into a dictaphone, while the lawyer herself retyped everything on to a computer.
Shortcomings in investigation documentation
Upon reviewing the case materials, Landmesere identified several formal deficiencies: documents were stitched together without a table of contents, case pages were not numbered. The second volume ended not with a decision to terminate the criminal case, but with a technical examination report, which concluded that the house had been in an emergency condition.
Landmesere also pointed out that the case materials contained no State Police order that formally invited witnesses for questioning. When asked about this, the investigator replied: "We invited them via chat."
Neighbour's testimony went unanswered
A neighbour of the family from the second floor of the burning building attended the press conference. She said she had submitted photographs she had taken herself for investigation and had filed a petition with the State Police requesting to be recognised as a victim, but no response has been received. She provided testimony only on the morning of the disaster at 6 o'clock, but was not invited for repeated questioning. Attempts to contact the police contact indicated "via chat" were unsuccessful.
Expert examination results and unanswered questions
Landmesere informed that two expert examinations were carried out in the case — a chemical and technical fire examination. One of them pointed to "abnormal operating conditions in electrical equipment". At the same time, a response from "Distribution Network" in the case materials indicated that an overload did not occur on the evening and night in question, and electricity consumption in this flat had never "exceeded limits".
Two fire safety experts were questioned, who explained possible circumstances of the fire's origin. However, the investigation did not ask additional questions about the specific wire connections on the cooker or oven. "When we asked the investigator why she had not posed these important questions to the experts, she chaotically flipped through the case materials and said she could not answer that at this time," the lawyer noted.
Neither the cooker surface nor the oven was sent for expert examination, and their current location is unknown. A partially burnt electric two-ring cooker was sent for examination, but the family's father, Artjoms, explained that it had been stored in packaging in a storage room.
Analogous flat and wire connections
In the case materials, Landmesere and her colleague saw photographs of a flat that is analogous to the one rented by the affected family. The photographs show an oven unit with electrical wires: "There are two wires and they are simply placed together and at the connection point wrapped with black insulation tape and plugged into a 220 volt socket," the lawyer said. In the investigation, neither the owner nor the building managers were asked about this type of wire connection and its possible relation to the fire.
Fire Safety and Rescue Service violations entered the investigation, but are not acknowledged
On 17 January, the Fire Safety and Rescue Service (VUGD) carried out a fire safety inspection of the property at Jaunlazdu Street 5 and identified significant violations, which were forwarded to Kekavas municipality. Landmesere's office requested information from both the municipality and the Fire Safety and Rescue Service, but answers have not yet been received. "The investigation has received substantial documents about violations, but the investigation does not identify these violations," the lawyer emphasised.
Mother: "The fire was not in the corner where the cooker was"
The mother of the children affected in the fire tragedy, Tatjana, told journalists that it was very difficult for her to speak about what had happened. "We woke up and everything was in smoke, it was too late," she said. Tatjana claimed that the temperature had been much higher than 68 degrees, which the heat detector had recorded.
"I could not open the door. It was as if glued shut from the heat. Then I managed to open it at the last moment (..) the fire was not in the corner where the cooker was. I already smell it away. All the experts said it was a miracle that I got out," Tatjana recalled. She also denied that the fire had started in the kitchen — the flames had first engulfed the sofa where the older daughter was sleeping.
"I carried my daughter to the corridor, tried to open the door, opened the door and remember nothing more. After that I woke up in the ambulance," the mother said.
High-ranking officials invited
Landmesere's office invited Prime Minister Andris Kudiņš, Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava, as well as a representative of the General Prosecutor's Office to the press conference. Police reject the lawyer's statements regarding the quality of the investigation.
Source: Google News LV — Crime (lv)