News

KNAB considers 2019 to have been dynamic and effective. The activities of the Bureau have contributed to the overall national economy of Latvia and will continue to contribute in the future.

Today, on 25 ^th of November, in the Grand Poet Hotel, the opening event took place for the European Economic Area (EEA) Financial mechanism co-financed program “International Police Cooperation and Combating Crime” for the period 2014-2021.

On April 5, the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau of Latvia (KNAB) initiated criminal proceeding against Riga Tourism Development Bureau officials, an organisation of Riga City Council, for budget misappropriation, document forgery, use of fictitious documents, and fraud.

The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) announces that as of 1 February 2019, Ineta Cīrule is appointed the Deputy Director in investigation procedure matters.

The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB), as a result of extensive analytical and criminal intelligence work, including in cooperation with foreign and national counterparts, carried out a long-standing process of obtaining information and recording evidence. This long and extensive work was based on the commencement of criminal proceedings in November this year in connection with the procurement of Riga Municipality Transportation Company “Rīgas satiksme” (Company).

On 19 February 2018, the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau of Latvia (KNAB) and the State Police of Latvia held a joint press conference regarding recent investigative activities of KNAB. The Director of KNAB Jēkabs Straume informed that on 15 February 2018 the authority commenced criminal proceedings against a top-level public official of the Central Bank of Latvia (Latvijas Banka). The investigation arises from the alleged solicitation and acceptance of a bribe by a public official who holds responsible position in violation of Paragraph 4 of the Section 320 of the Criminal Law of Latvia. The alleged amount of a bribe is not less than 100 000 EUR. The top-level public official was detained for 48 hours; one of the restraint measures taken thereafter prohibited the public official from undertaking official duties.

Today in visit in the Corruption Prevention and Combatting Bureau of Latvia (KNAB) arrived the delegation from the United States Department of Justice: Robin Taylor, Prosecutor, Department of Justice Advisor – OPDAT, U.S. European Command , Bruce Ohr, Counsilor, Transnational Organized Crime and International Affairs, Office of International Affairs, Criminal Division, United States Department of Justice, David Silverbrand, Trial Attorney, Office of International Affairs, Criminal Division, United States Department of Justice, Ameet Kabrawala, Prosecutor, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, Lyn Debevoise, U.S. Embassy Riga, Pol/Econ Chief and Simona Gurbo, U.S. Embassy Riga, Pol/Econ Specialist.

The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB), assessing the information what it holds, in the March of this year has initiated a criminal proceeding for the possible criminal actions for which the liability is provided in the 2nd Part of the Article 326 ¹ of the Criminal Law.

The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has sent a criminal proceeding materials to the Prosecutor’s Office of the Riga City Zemgale Suborb asking to initiate a criminal prosecution against the person for the misappropriation of a bribe (1st Part of the Article 321 of the Criminal Law) and for the instigating to give a bribe (1st Part of the Article 323 and 3rd Part of the Article 20 of the Criminal Law).