“Princess–Prime Minister Siliņa has spent 35,000 euros in airport VIP lounges,” writes Māris Mežals, a member of the party “Latvia First” (Latvija pirmajā vietā), on the social media platform X, publishing a detailed breakdown of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa’s VIP lounge expenses at airports from 2023 to 2026.
According to the information provided by Mežals, the costs are as follows:
2023: Brussels – 1,951.13 euros; Brussels – 975.56 euros; Riga – 400.00 euros; Helsinki – 707.00 euros; Brussels – 968.00 euros.
2024: Munich – 1,509.99 euros; Amsterdam – 4,184.18 euros; London – 221.64 euros; Gothenburg – 902.33 euros; London – 102.22 euros; Warsaw – 480.91 euros; Zurich – 2,073.54 euros; Munich – 990.00 euros; Helsinki – 198.00 euros; Warsaw – 734.29 euros; Warsaw – 605.20 euros.
2025: Copenhagen – 1,474.85 euros; Munich – 1,650.01 euros; Paris – 3,756.00 euros; Warsaw – 1,199.49 euros.
2026: Paris – 3,120.00 euros; Copenhagen – 925.00 euros; Amsterdam – 2,118.10 euros; Munich – 2,909.99 euros; Warsaw – 1,396.94 euros.
“In total – more than 35,000 euros for VIP lounges.
Well then, people – keep working, keep paying taxes, and keep supporting Siliņa and ‘New Unity’! And of course, Siliņa’s classic response – it’s all for security. That the public simply doesn’t understand what security means,” Mežals writes on social media.
“Really? While working at Interpol, I personally escorted internationally wanted criminals. I flew economy class, sat in the last row by the toilet. No VIP, no business class. And those were real security risks – not comfort in business class! So don’t tell us ‘New Unity’ fairy tales about security. People, how long will WE tolerate this?” Mežals continues.
As previously reported, significant public and political backlash was triggered by claims made by former head of the State Chancellery, Jānis Citskovskis, who stated that a visit by Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and two other individuals to the VIP lounge at Amsterdam Airport had cost around 4,000 euros.
Citskovskis said he had refused to approve payment of this invoice but was suspended,
and later another official authorized the payment.
According to copies of invoices available to the LETA news agency, the stay of Prime Minister Evika Siliņa (New Unity), her adviser Ieva Zīberga, and her bodyguard in the VIP lounge at Amsterdam Airport during a trip to and from an official visit to the United States in March 2024 cost a total of 4,184 euros including VAT.
On the 10th of March, the VIP lounge services for Siliņa, Zīberga, and the bodyguard amounted to 1,820 euros, while on the 15th of March – 1,638 euros. No further breakdown of the charges is specified in the invoice.
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