During procedural actions carried out on Thursday, law enforcement authorities seized the computer and mobile phone of Latvian Agriculture Minister Armands Krauze, while he also handed over various documents to prosecutors.
Krauze told the LETA news agency about the actions, while simultaneously denying that he had been detained.
His statement contradicts official information previously provided by prosecutors, who stated that both Krauze and former Agriculture Ministry state secretary and current head of the State Chancellery of Latvia, Raivis Kronbergs, had been detained during procedural actions in the so-called timber industry support case.
Krauze explained that he has not been charged and is participating in the proceedings because he himself submitted an application to the Office of the Prosecutor General of Latvia. According to him, all procedural actions are related to his own submission to prosecutors.
He stated that he participated in procedural activities on Thursday morning,
during which he voluntarily handed over his data. Krauze said he had been informed that he was not detained.
Commenting on Prime Minister Evika Siliņa’s decision to dismiss him from office, Krauze described the Prime Minister’s actions as cowardly and said they would complicate future cooperation.
On social media, he announced that he will return to the Saeima to resume his duties as a member of parliament.
As previously reported, Siliņa — who announced her own resignation on Thursday — had earlier dismissed Krauze from office, stating that she could not “tolerate any shadow of suspicion over ministers.” She also announced the temporary suspension of Kronbergs from his position.
The Prosecutor General’s Office is handling a criminal case concerning possible offenses
related to abuse of office and alleged negligence in providing unlawful support to timber industry companies.
Prosecutors stated that procedural actions were carried out in the criminal proceedings, including searches at several residences and workplaces, among them the homes and offices of Krauze and Kronbergs.
Given the scale of the procedural actions, officers from the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) were also involved in carrying them out.
It was also previously reported that the State Audit Office of Latvia had planned on Wednesday to present the results of an audit into the effectiveness of oversight at Latvijas valsts meži (LVM), but did not proceed because of a complaint submitted by the Agriculture Ministry. Prosecutor General Armīns Meisters had also been expected to participate in the press conference.
The audit examined state forest management processes, the distribution of responsibility,
and the efficiency of the use of public resources, and is linked to the so-called timber industry support case.
On the 20th of November last year, the Prosecutor General’s Office launched a prosecutorial review into whether state officials acted in accordance with the law when deciding on support measures for timber companies. Prosecutors stated that the review identified possible criminal offenses in public service related to unlawful support for timber companies through price adjustments in LVM long-term contracts.
As a result, the Prosecutor General’s Office initiated criminal proceedings concerning offenses under the section of the Criminal Law dealing with crimes committed in public service.
At the same time, the prosecutorial review has not been completed and continues at the Prosecutor General’s office, including in cooperation with the State Audit Office.
Previously, an internal investigation commission concluded that the financial condition of timber industry companies that received government support at the end of 2023 had not been systematically or structurally unstable. The report cited several facts that raised doubts about the justification for the support granted.
Meanwhile, Krauze has argued that the Agriculture Ministry’s internal investigation found no evidence that the state suffered losses as a result of the support provided to timber companies in 2023.
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