Former State Chancellery (SC) Director Jānis Citskovskis has been unjustly charged in the criminal case over former Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš’s government flights, according to Kariņš’s comments on TV3.
When asked about his own responsibility, Kariņš said he did not understand how Citskovskis could be charged criminally, as the State Chancellery leadership had acted according to their interpretation of the law. He argued that the incident might constitute an administrative violation, since it concerns differing interpretations of legal norms, but it could not be considered a criminal offense. According to the former politician, the case is being exaggerated and dragged out unnecessarily.
Kariņš explained that decisions about the flights had been made jointly with the Prime Minister’s Office, while the State Chancellery handled the practical organization.
Kariņš stated he does not intend to return to Latvian politics but is willing to assist democratically oriented politicians. In his view, Latvia currently lacks strong political leaders. He also criticized Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (New Unity, JV), claiming she has lost authority after threatening—but failing to act on her threats—to dismiss a minister from the Union of Greens and Farmers (ZZS). As a result,
Kariņš said, ZZS now occupies a controlling position “in both coalitions”
—the official government coalition and an informal coalition with opposition parties.
As previously reported, in October the prosecution sent the “Kariņš flight case” to court. The prosecution informed LETA that former SC Director Citskovskis is charged with failing to perform official duties, resulting in serious consequences. Initially, the case involved another person with the right to defense, but that individual’s status has since been changed to that of a witness.
According to the prosecution, the pre-trial investigation assessed the potential liability of the former Prime Minister, several State Chancellery officials, and members of the Prime Minister’s Office. Ultimately, it concluded that the SC Director, as the head of the institution, was responsible for ensuring the legality and efficiency of state budget spending related to services for the Prime Minister’s foreign missions.
Due to inaction, Latvia allegedly suffered losses of 89,382 euros, which, under the law, constitutes a criminal offense with serious consequences, the indictment states.
The investigation concluded that during four foreign trips by the Prime Minister,
the SC unlawfully ordered and paid for five special charter flights,
despite having the option to purchase regular commercial tickets for the delegation in a timely manner.
By using regular commercial flights, without incurring additional accommodation expenses, the SC could have saved 89,382.90 euros in state budget funds. When evaluating the damage, the prosecution relied on the State Audit Office’s methodology and findings from its audit on the use of special flights for the Prime Minister’s missions, which determined that the funds were used unlawfully and inefficiently.
Although the prosecution did not dispute the Prime Minister’s authority to decide independently on the necessity of foreign missions, investigators concluded that the SC Director failed to ensure compliance with the principles outlined in the Law on the Prevention of Squandering of Public Funds and Property and with Cabinet regulations limiting travel expense payments.
The prosecution also noted that the funds used for the charter flights were allocated in the 2022 state budget specifically for ensuring safe air travel for the Prime Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, whereas the trips took place after the end of the state of emergency.
Therefore,
the prosecution concluded that the SC Director failed to fulfill his legal obligations
under the Law on the Structure of Public Administration and the Law on Budget and Financial Management to oversee the lawful and efficient use of budget funds, and he did not take measures or issue orders to cancel the illegally arranged charter flights.
At the end of March 2024, the Prosecutor General’s Office initiated and transferred to the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) a criminal case on possible large-scale misuse of public funds related to the chartered flights used for the former Prime Minister’s trips. The case was later taken over by the prosecution. The Riga City Court plans to begin hearings in the Kariņš flight case on April 7, 2026.
Meanwhile, the State Audit Office has pointed to significantly higher unjustified expenses than those listed in the indictment. According to its findings, the illegal and uneconomical organization of Kariņš’s charter flights caused approximately €545,000 in unnecessary costs to both the Latvian and EU Council budgets.
The State Audit Office also found that decisions on using charter flights for the Prime Minister’s missions were effectively made and implemented jointly by then–Prime Minister Kariņš, his Office, and the State Chancellery. At that time, the Prime Minister’s Office was headed by current Saeima MP Jānis Patmalnieks (JV), while the State Chancellery was led by Citskovskis.
Following the flight scandal,
Citskovskis was temporarily suspended from his position and later resigned from the State Chancellery.
In October, Citskovskis told LETA that he did not understand the charges against him. He said he had requested written clarification from the prosecution, but received only a “three-page essay,” which, in his words, made it difficult to understand the alleged offense. He said the prosecution refused to provide further explanation. “I don’t understand the charges and I don’t agree with them. I am ready to prove my innocence in court,” Citskovskis stated.
Last summer, he also said he had contacted law enforcement about attempts to pressure him into taking responsibility for the decision to use charter flights. He now claims that he has not received any response from the authorities for more than a year.
It has also been reported that, following a whistleblower’s report, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Aigars Strupišs, this spring launched an inquiry into whether there were grounds to dismiss then–Prosecutor General Juris Stukāns. The whistleblower was former supervising prosecutor of the Kariņš flight case, Viorika Jirgena, who alleged that Stukāns had insisted on filing charges against a person for whom she saw no legal basis for prosecution.
After reviewing the inquiry results, the Supreme Court Plenum found no grounds for Stukāns’s dismissal. Stukāns unsuccessfully sought reappointment as Prosecutor General this summer but has applied again for the renewed competition.
Read also: Court sets date to begin hearing Kariņš flight case
Read also: “Unanswered questions and oddities”: Citskovskis on Kariņš’s special flights
Read also: Criminal case on use of special charter flights for Kariņš’s foreign visits sent to court