KNAB head on chopping block

  • 2008-06-18
  • By Talis Saule Archdeacon

People are calling for the resignation of Loskutovs yet again.

RIGA - The embattled chief of the anti-corruption bureau (KNAB) is yet again facing dismissal pending the results of a high-profile commission tasked with evaluating his responsibility for a large sum of money that went missing from the organization's vaults.
KNAB head Aleksejs Loskutovs could lose his post after it was revealed that two of his employees stole some 135,500 lats (192,800 euros) in confiscated money.

Loskutovs nearly lost his job at the end of 2007, when former Prime Minister Aigars Kalvitis tried to have him removed over bookkeeping irregularities. The fiasco ended with some of the largest protests since Latvia regained independence, ultimately forcing the government to resign (see column Page 14).

The process surrounding his expulsion has once again been tinged with controversy after the Cabinet's representative on the commission, Defense Minister Vinets Veldre, said the matter was "practically decided."
"The procedure has to be followed formally, Loskutovs' opinion should be heard… Of course, legal grounds [for the decision] are significant," the defense minister told journalists following a June 12 commission meeting.
The comments drew harsh criticism from President Valdis Zatlers, Prosecutor General and commission head Janis Maizitis, opposition leaders and Loskutovs himself.

"Minister Veldre made a rushed statement wanting to prove more competent and knowledgeable," the president said, adding that the minister should have left the commission following the uproar over his comments.

"If politicians have made a decision they have to inform the public about it, because if it is the case they have sidestepped the legal procedure for dismissing the KNAB chief," a spokesman for Maizitis said.
Loskutovs submitted a request to have the minister removed from the commission on June 12, but Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis rejected the request the following day saying that he had confidence Veldre would not allow his personal feelings about Loskutovs to taint the decision.

Opposition leaders have taken their criticism a step further by calling for Veldre's resignation.
On June 17, members of the opposition submitted a bill calling for a vote of no confidence in the minister. The document was signed by numerous political powerhouses, including leaders of the newly formed Civic Union, New Era members Solvita Aboltina and Einars Repse, as well as former ministers Aigars Stokenbergs and Artis Pabriks.

The politicians cited both Veldre's comments surrounding the Loskutovs affair and his proposal to form a much criticized horse guard as reasons the minister should be forced to step down.
Veldre, for his part, has defended his comments, saying that he is entitled to his personal opinion and he will be able to make an objective decision when the time comes.

"I accept part of the criticism and do not accept the other part of it… I do not believe that I have to be afraid to speak my mind on the issue 's we have questioned the Prosecutor General and Loskutovs on [his accountability] during several government sessions," the minister said.

The commission was initially given a deadline of June 16 to come up with a ruling on whether Loskutovs could be held accountable for the missing money, but it was later moved to June 18. When The Baltic Times went to press, it was unclear whether the commission would be able to meet the new deadline or if it would have to be extended again.