The claims from IT-technologies company “SOAAR” manager Renārs Kadžulis that Unity politicians had attempted to influence the vote-counting results in the Saeima elections of 2014 are absurd and untrue, as LETA was told by former secretary general of Unity Artis Kampars.
Kadžulis claimed in his interview to LTV programme “Kas notiek Latvijā?” [What’s happening in Latvia?] that ten years ago then the secretary general of Unity Kampars had allegedly invited ‘SOAAR”, which was responsible for providing the software for elections, to fake results of the 12th Saeima elections to ensure then the chairperson of Unity Solvita Āboltiņa is elected to the parliament. Kadžulis does not have confirmation that this meeting and conversation actually took pace, but he did report about this to law enforcement institutions.
“I have never asked or implied something like that to anyone. These are absurd and untrue claims,” Kampars told LETA.
The former politician said he is confused why these false accusations have surfaced ten years after the fact. Such absurd and clearly untrue claims can only be invented in a feverish nightmare, said the former secretary general of Unity.
When asked about Kadžulis’ claims of receiving a call on Saeima election night, Kampars believes he never made such a call. At the same time, however, he adds he cannot really recall of the phone calls he made decades ago.
Kampars said he met with Kadžulis twice, stressing he had little contact with this person. This is why the politician does not believe he could have called Kadžulis on the night to Saeima elections or around that time.
When commenting on Kadžulis’ claims that after his refusal to interfere with vote-counting, Kampars basically threatened him, the former politician told LETA that this is completely absurd, and that he has never spoken to Kadžulis about such things.
Kampars is thinking about ways to deal with these claims.
When asked if he could sue Kadžulis, the former politician said he wants to consult with lawyers about the best course of action.
As previously reported, Kadžulis, who is one of the accused in the criminal case concerning a procurement of the Central Election Commission (CVK), claimed in an interview to LTV that during the 12th Saeima elections held in autumn 2014 Kampars had asked him for a conversation and mentioned that he is worried Solvita Āboltiņa may not be able to secure enough votes to enter the Saeima. “We need you to make sure she is elected,” Kadžulis said Kampars had told him all those years ago. “I asked him – do you even know what you’re asking? You’re asking me to fake election results. I will never do something like that. And I refused. [Kampars] Then said – then all kinds of things will happen,” Kadžulis claimed in his interview.
He said his only proof of his claims is the fact that Āboltiņa was not elected in the end, but still managed to enter the 12th Saeima after one of Unity’s deputies – Jānis Junkurs – decided to lay down his mandate. Junkurs claimed he received an attractive job offer from some company in Hong Kong. However, his state official’s declaration did not mention a job in Hong Kong, which suggests he left the Saeima specifically to give his seat to Āboltiņa.
Kadžulis said he reported everything to the Constitution Protection Bureau (SAB), but no action was taken in the end. “I reported this to SAB multiple time? You think something came of it? It’s like a wall. The same with the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB). At some point, I gave up trying to report anything, because no one would do anything,” Kadžulis lamented.
After hearing these claims, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa said she will ask law enforcement institutions to check the publicly reported claims. Siliņa stressed that what Kadžulis said about the attempt to influence democratic procedures enshrined in the Constitution must not remain without consequences. “Either it happened, and someone must answer for it before the law, or it never happened, and someone else needs to answer for it. It is necessary to express a very clear opinion of the institutions protecting the constitutional order and security of Latvia – there must be both evaluation and action,” said the PM.
She intends to request information from Latvian security institutions, as well as ask the Prosecutor General’s Office to check the claims.
Also read: Orleāns: envelope wages were probably being paid in Unity’s prime minister’s office as well
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