Latvian corruption watchdog searches offices of state-owned road maintenance company LAU

RIGA - The Corruption Prevention Bureau (KNAB) has searched the offices of the Latvian state-owned road maintenance company Latvijas Autocelu Uzturetajs (LAU), the company confirmed to LETA.

The corruption watchdog conducted a search at the LAU offices on April 4 but the company's representatives could not give the reason for the search.

No LAU employees have been detained, the company said.

KNAB spokeswoman Laura Dusa told LETA that the anti-corruption watchdog would not comment on its investigation activities. She neither confirmed not denied the report about the KNAB searching LAU offices.

According to unofficial sources, the search may be related to a LAU tender held back in 2016 or the company's former board chairman, Vladimirs Kononovs, who stepped down in August 2017.

In 2016, LAU declared its long-standing cooperation partner, Vlakon company, as the winner of the tender for a EUR 9 million worth three-year contract for supply of crushed dolomite but the Procurement Monitoring Bureau banned LAU from signing the contract with Vlakon due to violations in the work of the tender commission. This was not the first time when speculations were raised about a connection between Kononovs and Vlakon.