It is roughly clear by now which officials have exceeded their authority in implementing Rail Baltica - prosecutor general

RIGA - It is roughly clear by now which officials have exceeded their authority in the implementation of the Rail Baltica project, Prosecutor General Juris Stukans said Thursday in an interview on Latvian Radio.

In the end, the prosecutor saw signs suggesting that officials may have acted against or in breach of their powers, Stukans said, adding that it is generally clear to the prosecutor's office which public officials are to be blamed for mismanaging the railway project, but they cannot be named publicly because criminal proceedings have been started and evidence needs to be established.

As reported, the Prosecutor General's Office has opened a criminal case against the officials responsible for the implementation of the Rail Baltica project.

According to LETA, the prosecutor's office has initiated criminal proceedings on the grounds that state officials responsible for the implementation of the Rail Baltica project may have caused losses to the state budget in a large amount in connection with the construction of Rail Baltica infrastructure facilities.

The criminal proceedings have been initiated for a criminal offence under the Criminal Law on criminal offences in the service of public bodies.

Criminal proceedings have not been initiated against specific officials.

In accordance with the decision of the Prosecutor General, the criminal proceedings have been transferred to the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau for investigation.

In the interest of the investigation, no further details of the criminal proceedings will be provided at this time.

As reported, the Saeima on June 13 decided to set up a parliament inquiry committee, proposed by a group of 34 opposition and unaffiliated lawmakers to examine the mistakes made during the implementation of the Rail Baltica railway project.

The General Prosecutor's Office also started the investigation in June.

It is also reported that, according to the Rail Baltica project situation study report carried out by the Supreme Audit Institutions of the Baltic States, there is currently no clarity on the operating and management model of the Rail Baltica railway line.