Orleāns: envelope wages were probably being paid in Unity’s prime minister’s office as well

It’s possible envelope wages were paid to not only Unity’s office workers but to the people close to the party as well, such as workers of the prime minister’s office, LTV programme Panorāma was told by Unity’s former member and the party’s office manager Normunds Orleāns.
LTV reports that the people named by Orleāns provided testimony to the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) and denied the accusations regarding the payment of envelope wages.
Orleāns told the programme that in the party’s internal slang an envelope with cash inside was called “mail”.
He also told KNAB that envelope wages were being paid in the prime minister’s office for a long time as well. According to Orleāns, it was happening in 2021 and 2022, but he did not name any recipients.
According to the list of the party’s members available to LTV, this means it is possible envelope wages were paid to then the Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš’s advisor Ieva Zīberga, who is now the head of PM Evika Siliņa’s office. Zīberga denied these allegations, and the existence of “mail” was also denied by the party’s once secretary general Artis Kampars.
TV3 programme Nekā personīga reported in March that Orleāns had turned to law enforcement institutions, claiming that the political party was paying him and at least ten more office workers so-called envelope wages.
Orleāns claimed that payments of envelope wages started at around 2017, when the party entered financial difficulties. When he was paid his wage in an envelope for the first time, he objected, but he was told that once the party’s financial state improved, payments of official wages would continue and taxes would be paid for the previous period.
The politician told the programme that in addition to his official wage he received EUR 650 in the envelope. He also said he saw envelopes on the tables of his other colleagues.
Orleāns then turned to the party’s board and personally to leading politicians of the party, including then the PM Krišjānis Kariņš and current PM Evika Siliņa, but nothing came of it.
He also turned to KNAB, the State Revenue Service, State Labour Inspectorate and Prosecutor General’s Office, as well as the Data State Inspectorate about the possible violations in personal data storage.
In a statement released by Unity on the 12th of March it is noted that Orleāns’ accusations about the payment of envelope wages “were made up to hurt Unity’s reputation”.
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