Latvian Welfare Minister Fired After Being Caught Drunk Driving
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kobergs fired Welfare Minister Reinis Ozolnieks after he was caught driving with an extremely high level of alcohol.
Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kobergs dismissed Welfare Minister Reinis Ozolnieks on Sunday after the minister was caught by police driving under the influence of alcohol at more than six times the legal limit. According to local media reports, police stopped the 40-year-old minister on Saturday and found his blood alcohol content to be dangerously high.
The Latvian news agency LETA reported a breathalyzer reading of 0.309%, while Latvian Television reported a blood alcohol level of 0.35%. The legal limit for drivers with more than two years of experience is 0.05%, according to the Latvian Automobile Association.
A minister driving under the influence is completely irresponsible and poses a danger to society, Prime Minister Kobergs wrote on X. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics also strongly condemned the incident.
Ozolnieks's party, the Union of Greens and Farmers, decided at a special meeting to dismiss him from the post of welfare minister and expel him from the party ranks.
