Criminal-legal characteristics of manipulations with sports competitions

The aim of the study is to analyse the elements of the criminal offence provided for in Section 212.1 of the Criminal Law and to describe the peculiarities of them. The following methods of interpretation of legal norms were used: grammatical or philological method of interpretation, historical method of interpretation, systemic method of interpretation and teleological (meaning and purpose) method of interpretation. In summer of 2015 the Ministry of Justice in cooperation with the Sports Department of the Ministry of Education and Science and Latvian Olympic Committee, as well as involving experts from the Football Federation and other sports sectors, developed amendments to the Sports Law and the Criminal Law, which provided for criminal liability for manipulations with sports competitions. Amendments to the Criminal Law, including Section 212.1, entered into force on March 1, 2016. According to the criminal statistics six cases of manipulations with sports competitions were registered in the period from March 1, 2016 to 2020 (in 2016 – one case; in 2017 – two cases; in 2018 – one case; in 2019 – two cases). Crime threatens the interests of the national economy. The objective side is characterized as active action, manipulations with sports competitions organized by a sports organization. From the subjective side, it is an intentional offence that is characterized by direct intent. The subject is a physical person of sound mind who has reached the age of 14.