Minister refers suspected violations in disaster centre projects to prosecutors

Latvia’s Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava has referred information on possible violations in the construction of several disaster management centres to the Prosecutor General’s Office, LSM reports.

The Interior Ministry said Dombrava identified signs of inefficient spending and risks of possible violations while reviewing the implementation of the projects. Several cost items had increased multiple times, requiring an independent and detailed assessment, the minister said.

“The use of state funds must be transparent and justified, and any suspicions of possible violations must be examined,” Dombrava said.

The Interior Ministry has suspended the official responsible for the relevant area and launched an internal audit of the implementation of several disaster management centre construction projects.

Latvia plans to build 34 new disaster management centres by 2029. The National Security Concept, approved by the Saeima in 2023, identifies civil protection and disaster management as priorities in internal security and threat prevention.