Ministers responsible for making sure their ministries do not employ experts who may be involved in IT procurements investigated by police - Silina

RIGA - Each minister is responsible for making sure that their ministries do not employ IT experts who may have been involved in IT procurements currently investigated by the police, Prime Minister Evika Silina (New Unity) told reporters after a government meeting on Tuesday.

Silina does not have information on what kind of employees each minister, state secretaries or heads of departments at the ministries have hired, she said.

"But each minister is responsible about the way they act in a given situation, and clarify the situation him or herself," said Silina.

At the same time, Silina is aware that law enforcement authorities are not allowed to disclose extensive information in this case, but ministers should know about their ministries also from the information they have.

Not everything needs a resolution from the prime minister, and for the time being there are no plans to issue such resolutions to make ministers clarify the situation at their ministries, but if ministers do not act, Silina will take action and issue such a resolution, she said.

Economics Minister Viktors Valainis (Greens/Farmers) added that the ministers were following what was happening at their ministries. According to Valainis, the Economics Ministry has already requested all the necessary information on the basis of which it will take further decisions.

"From what I have heard, my colleagues at other ministries have done the same," said Valainis.

As reported, the Progressives party will probe ministries under its control for possible violations in IT procurement, Transport Minister Atis Svinka (Progressives) told reporters after the weekly coalition meeting on Monday.

It will also be assessed whether the companies that have been publicly mentioned in connection with the latest IT procurement fraud case have participated in the development of projects.

The Transport Ministry on Monday decided to suspend its employee Ainars Biders who is being probed for involvement in the IT procurement fraud. Biders works as a procurement specialist in the Transport Ministry's Information Technology Project Management Department.

The Smart Administration and Regional Development Ministry's State Secretary Edvins Balsevics has also been suspended from his job.

Sabine Spurke, advisor to Smart Administration and Regional Development Minister Raimonds Cudars (New Unity), told LETA that Balsevics was suspended "in view of public interest following media reports about his possible involvement in illegal disclosure of limited-access information regarding IT procurement."

LETA also reported, the State Police, in a criminal case launched by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), last week detained 21 persons, including state officials, over EUR 1.5 million IT procurement fraud. Among the detainees were Biders, the State Digital Development Agency's former director Jorens Liopa, and Corporate Solutions Group's owner and head Aigars Ceruss.

The criminal proceedings were launched at the end of last year according to the Criminal Law's sections on large-scale fraud committed by an organized group and laundering of the proceeds from crime on a large scale by an organized group.

The investigation has established that an organized group of individuals entered into an unlawful secret agreement to determine in advance who would win the public procurement for at least six projects, funded by the European Regional Development Fund with up to EUR 1.5 million.

There are indications that the participants colluded to ensure that project tasks were awarded to pre-selected companies. The resulting illicit profits were allegedly shared among the co-conspirators. It is further alleged that the contracts were unlawfully secured with the assistance of public officials.