RIGA - Interior Minister Mareks Seglins is frustrated with the length of time it's taken to select Latvia's new Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) chief, he told journalists. The anti-corruption bureau has been without a leader for several months, which is unacceptable, the minister said.
"By and large, to organize open tenders for such positions as state police chief, prosecutor general, border guard chief, in my opinion, we are becoming ridiculous. I think that it is necessary to choose the best of the known specialists and the government must approve him," the minister said.
Adding to the elongated process is the fact that explicit instructions and duties must be drawn up to ensure that corruption within the anti-corruption bureau is stopped. "We, the government, are afraid of ourselves 's we try to please [everyone], including the media, and then we get lost in three pines. It is necessary to pick somebody of these people, instead of delegating the task to mystical NGOs, society, public opinion polls. Maybe let's hold a referendum?" Seglins said.
In order to promote transparency, "the government also should explain its choice to the public," Seglins said.
The government this week is due to consider a set of instructions, drafted by the Justice Ministry, that specify the procedure for appointing the head of KNAB. The draft provides that the government will determine the period for submitting applications for the position of the head of KNAB, as well as the deadline for doing so.
The whole process would take a month, said President Valdis Zatlers on Oct. 13 after meeting with Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis.
He said that the choice of the new head for KNAB is a top priority, along with preparing the 2009 budget.
"The main task is following the process, which could be the issue of approximately one month," Zatlers said, adding that the experience of appointing the head of the Constitution Protection Bureau had helped determine the amount of time needed to appoint a viable candidate.
Godmanis said that selection of professional commissions is essential to solving the issue. He added that the proposals of several public organizations on the issue will also be heard this week.
The law for the appointment procedure of the new KNAB head will be adopted by the government next week at the latest.
The state chancery will register the applications and determine whether they meet the legal requirements for the position. However, as could be expected, not all are pleased with the process.
Latvian pro-transparency NGO Delna and the center for public policy Providus have harshly criticized the draft instruction. The prosecutor general's office has raised its own objections as well.
Former KNAB chief Aleksejs Loskutovs was fired by Parliament in June 2008 after two employees of the anti-corruption bureau were caught pocketing the bureau's money.
