KNAB to review other MPs’ housing and transport claims

Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau will examine whether housing and transport compensation claimed by other members of parliament is justified, LSM reported. The review follows public controversy over such payments and will include cases where an MP’s declared residence or other circumstances raise doubts.

KNAB is already checking the housing compensation received by Saeima member Leila Rasima of the Progressives party, Latvian Radio confirmed.

KNAB representative Agita Antonane said the compensation is not available to all MPs. It may be claimed only by those whose declared residence is more than 39 kilometres from Riga and who meet the other conditions set by law.

Antonane said KNAB had repeatedly drawn the Saeima’s attention in recent years to shortcomings in the rules governing MPs’ transport and rental housing compensation. The bureau has warned that these gaps create a risk that the system could be used dishonestly.

KNAB has called for the rules to be improved so that compensation is paid only for expenses incurred while MPs carry out their parliamentary duties. Until the Saeima addresses the shortcomings, the bureau said, there will be a risk that some MPs will declare a residence more than 39 kilometres from Riga to qualify for compensation even though they actually have housing in Riga or within 39 kilometres of the capital.

KNAB does not have the authority to change the compensation procedure; only the Saeima can do so. The bureau also stressed that conduct not prohibited by law is not necessarily ethical. Using regulatory gaps for personal gain is unacceptable because it undermines public trust in the state and parliament and is incompatible with an MP’s responsibilities.