The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has so far questioned more than 60 people in the criminal proceedings related to the implementation of the Rail Baltica railway project, the LETA news agency learned from the bureau.
KNAB continues to carry out the pre-trial investigation in this criminal case. At present, the bureau is not commenting on whether any person has been granted the right to defence within the proceedings.
Given the scale of the Rail Baltica project, KNAB is conducting a legal assessment of the materials obtained in the criminal proceedings, the bureau explained. The institution is also continuing to request additional information from the involved institutions that is necessary for the investigation of the criminal case.
KNAB draws attention to the fact that the duration of the investigation also depends on the cooperation of the involved parties, including the speed at which institutions provide information.
KNAB notes that the criminal investigation is being carried out in close cooperation with the supervising prosecutor.
Regular meetings are held between the two institutions, during which information is provided on the progress of the investigation and further steps to be taken are discussed.
In December 2024, upon completing a review, the Prosecutor General’s Office initiated criminal proceedings over possible unlawful actions by officials responsible for the implementation of Rail Baltica.
The criminal case was opened on suspicion that state officials responsible for the implementation of the Rail Baltica project may have caused significant losses to the state budget in connection with the construction of Rail Baltica infrastructure facilities. At the beginning of 2025, then Prosecutor General Juris Stukāns revealed on Latvian Television that the actions of politicians are also being assessed in the case.
The criminal proceedings were initiated for a criminal offence provided for in the chapter of the Criminal Law concerning offences committed in the service of state institutions.
The Rail Baltica project envisages the construction of a European standard-gauge railway line from Tallinn to the Lithuanian–Polish border, enabling the Baltic states to be connected by rail with other European countries. In the Baltic states, it is planned to build a new 870-kilometre-long European standard-gauge (1,435 mm) railway line, with trains operating at a maximum speed of 240 kilometres per hour.
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