The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (SC), Aigars Strupišs, is dissatisfied with Prime Minister Evika Siliņa’s (New Unity) communication regarding next year’s budget priorities and the exclusion of the Supreme Court’s requests from the budget.
In an interview on Latvian Television’s Rīta panorāma, Strupišs explained that after learning that the Supreme Court’s priorities — including those related to security — were not being approved, the Court requested an explanation from Siliņa, but none was received.
The draft budget law was submitted to the Saeima without the SC’s priorities. There was also no discussion in parliament, as the SC’s additional budget request had not been included in the documents. The Saeima’s Legal Bureau also contacted the Prime Minister for clarification. Strupišs was surprised that Siliņa responded to the Legal Bureau’s letter.
“We did not receive a response to our own request made three weeks ago, but when the Legal Affairs Committee sends a request, they receive a reply, and we appear only as the secondary recipient. The strangest part is that we learned about the reply from the media, only later receiving the letter ourselves. If this is the way one branch of state power communicates with another, then for us this is not acceptable,” the Chief Justice stressed. He said he expects state institutions to be able to communicate directly, yet this is not happening.
Strupišs claimed that
he has not met with Siliņa even once in a work-related context, despite offering opportunities to do so.
As reported, the Supreme Court is perplexed by the Cabinet of Ministers’ (CM) attitude and rhetoric in the public space, where information is being spread suggesting that the Supreme Court has made excessive demands when requesting additional funding for security-related priorities, the Court told LETA.
According to the SC, such rhetoric has been spread by Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (New Unity).
The SC emphasises that the Cabinet of Ministers, in its reply to the Saeima’s Legal Affairs Committee, stated that this year’s budget preparation process differed from previous years due to the tense external geopolitical situation. The SC points out that the budget preparation procedure is established in legal acts and cannot be altered for each situation without formally amending the relevant regulations.
“The Supreme Court does not live separately from the Latvian state and society,” the Court stresses, adding that it understands and supports the prioritisation of security and defence in the national budget, and stands in solidarity with other sectors that will have to reduce their current operational capacity and possibly development. Therefore, the SC also understands and respects that no additional funding will be allocated in 2026 for the remuneration of judges or court staff, including judicial assistants, the Court noted.
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