Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa has issued an order to suspend the Director of the State Chancellery Janis Citskovskis for the duration of an investigation, as confirmed by the Prime Minister’s press-secretary Alexis Zoldners.
With Citskovskis suspended, his duties will be performed by Deputy Director of the State Chancellery for Legal Affairs Inese Gailīte.
As previously reported, the illegal and uneconomic conduct in the organisation of ex-PM Krišjānis Kariņš incurred EUR 545 000 of unjustified expenses for the Latvian and EU budget, as the State Audit found.
According to State Audit, using special flights in cases where no emergency was declared in the country and when alternatives to scheduled commercial flights were available at a reasonable time, illegal actions with state budget funds were committed, which resulted in additional state budget expenditure of at least EUR 221 566. On the other hand, the non-economic actions, according to the State Audit estimates, resulted in additional expenses of at least EUR 323 688 for the Council of EU.
“Thus, the Law on Prevention of Squandering of the Financial Resources and Property of a Public Entity has not been complied with,” the State Audit concluded, adding that the audit also fount irregularities relating to the organisation of public procurement and accounting.
According to the State Audit, information acquired in the audit indicates that in the adoption and implementation of decisions on the use of special flights on foreign missions, both the then Prime Minister Kariņš and the Prime Minister’s Office and the State Chancellery under his direct authority were involved. The Prime Minister’s Office was then managed by now Saeima deputy Jānis Patmalnieks. The State Chancellery remains under Jānis Citskovskis.
The State Chancellery believes the responsibility for Kariņš’s special flights lies with the Prime Minister’s Office.
The State Chancellery emphasizes that the planning of the agenda of the PM, including missions, falls within the competence of the Prime Minister’s Office. Consequently, the PM, in consultation with the Prime Minister’s Office, makes a decision on when and by what means to go on a mission and return from it.
Also read: Latvian ex-PM’s private flights estimated to have incurred EUR 545 000 in unjustifiable expenses
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