TV3 programme Nekā personīga reported that between 2012 and 2019 politicians from politicial parties Harmony and Honour to Serve Riga, other members and their relatives had been basically in charge of Riga City Council’s Riga Tourism Development Bureau (RTAB).
The programme explains that the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) submitted to the prosecution office a criminal case related to the so-called fictive employees at Riga City Council. Investigators refrain from giving comments. Nevertheless, Nekā personīga has found out from other sources that among these fictive employees there is singer Ainars Mielavs, Riga City Council’s ex-deputy Sandis Bergmanis’ wife and mother, as well as journalist Ksenija Zagorovska.
It is also possible two former chauffeur of once the Mayor of Riga Nils Ušakov may also be involved in illegal employment. Ušakovs calls the case absurd.
The programme reports that on the 13th of March 2019 RTAB was visited by KNAB officers. Law enforcers performed a search on the premises. The reason – suspicions of bureau’s employees defrauding the municipality’s finances and forging documents.
More on this topic: Corruption watchdog sinks teeth deep into Riga Tourism Development Bureau
According to multiple sources, the investigation has yet to progress much since then. Currently KNAB requests criminal prosecution for eight people. All of them are former city council members and employees of RTAB. The latter include Maksims Tolstojs from Harmony and Vita Jermoloviča from Honour to Serve Riga. They are accused of supporting six fictive employees who have defrauded finances worth a total of EUR 280 822.
Wages to the fictive employees were being paid between 2012 and 2014 and reached EUR 1 400. Later on, however, wages had exceeded EUR 2 000 ‘on paper’. In 2018 RTAB had 39 employees. 15 of them were from Harmony and were registered as leaders of various projects.
In 2017 Nekā personīga reported that members of Ušakovs’ and Andris Ameriks’ political parties were put in suspiciously well-paid jobs.
Also read: Ex-Latvian diplomat involved in recent EU-Qatar corruption scandal
Musician suspected of involvement in fictive employment at Riga City Council
