The Riga City Court plans to begin hearing the case over former Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš’s government flights on the 7th of April, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., according to information obtained by the LETA news agency. The only defendant in the case is former State Chancellery Director Jānis Citskovskis.
As previously reported, the Prosecutor’s Office referred the case to court in October. Citskovskis has been charged with failure to perform official duties by a public official, which caused serious consequences. Initially, the case included another person with the status of a suspect, but that status has since been changed to that of a witness.
According to the prosecution, during the pre-trial investigation, the possible responsibility of former Prime Minister Kariņš, as well as several officials and employees of the State Chancellery and the Prime Minister’s Office, was assessed. However, investigators concluded that the director of the State Chancellery, as the head of the institution, was personally responsible for the lawful and efficient use of state budget funds for services related to the Prime Minister’s official foreign trips.
Due to inaction, Latvia suffered losses amounting to 89,382 euros, which the indictment classifies as a criminal offense with serious consequences.
The investigation found that during four foreign missions,
the State Chancellery illegally commissioned and paid for five special charter flights,
even though it was possible to purchase regular commercial tickets in advance for the Prime Minister’s delegation.
By using regular commercial flights without incurring additional costs for overnight stays, the Chancellery could have saved 89,382.90 euros in state funds. In assessing the financial damage, prosecutors relied on the State Audit Office’s methodology and findings, which concluded that the government had unlawfully used state budget resources and failed to make cost-effective choices.
Although prosecutors did not dispute the Prime Minister’s authority to independently decide on the need for foreign visits, investigators concluded that the Chancellery Director failed to ensure compliance with the Law on Prevention of Squandering of Public Funds and Property and Cabinet regulations concerning travel expense payments.
The special charter flights were paid for with funds allocated in the 2022 state budget for “safe flights”
for the Prime Minister during the COVID-19 pandemic, even though the trips were organized after the end of the state of emergency.
Prosecutors therefore concluded that Citskovskis, as the head of the institution, failed to ensure oversight and legality in budget spending, did not issue necessary orders to subordinate officials, and did not cancel the unlawfully ordered flights.
In March 2024, the Prosecutor General’s Office opened a case and handed it to the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) for investigation over alleged large-scale misuse of funds linked to chartered flights for the former prime minister. The case was later taken over by the Prosecutor’s Office.
The State Audit Office, however, identified significantly higher unjustified expenditures than those cited by the prosecution, estimating that
illegal and inefficient organization of special flights for Kariņš’s trips caused around 545,000 euros in unwarranted expenses
for both the Latvian and EU Council budgets.
According to the auditors, both then–Prime Minister Kariņš and his office, led at the time by current MP Jānis Patmalnieks (New Unity), as well as the State Chancellery, were actively involved in decisions to use special charter flights.
Following the scandal, Citskovskis was temporarily suspended from his position and later resigned.
In October, Citskovskis told LETA that he does not understand the charges brought against him and had requested a written explanation from prosecutors: “They gave me a three-page essay that makes it hard to understand what exactly I’ve done,” he said, adding that the Prosecutor’s Office refused to clarify further. “I do not understand the accusation, and I do not agree with it. I am ready to prove my innocence in court.”
Last summer,
Citskovskis also claimed he had been pressured to take the blame
and declare that he was responsible for choosing the charter flights. He said he reported the matter to law enforcement, but after more than a year, has received no response.
The case also led to internal turmoil in the judiciary. After a whistleblower complaint by prosecutor Viorika Jirgena, who supervised the Kariņš case, Supreme Court Chief Justice Aigars Strupišs initiated a review to determine whether there were grounds to dismiss then–Prosecutor General Juris Stukāns. Jirgena alleged that Stukāns had pressured her to press charges despite her belief that there was no legal basis to do so.
The Supreme Court plenary later found no grounds to dismiss Stukāns. He failed to secure reappointment as Prosecutor General in the summer but has since applied again in the new competition for the post.
Read also: Criminal case on use of special charter flights for Kariņš’s foreign visits sent to court
Read also: “Unanswered questions and oddities”: Citskovskis on Kariņš’s special flights