Latvia to open competition for KNAB chief

Latvia’s government has decided to hold an open competition for the next head of the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau, LSM reported on Tuesday.

The competition will be organised by the State Chancellery following the departure of Jēkabs Straume, who has decided to retire on a service pension before the end of his term.

Straume led the bureau from June 2017 and was reappointed in 2022 for another five-year term. The law provides for the KNAB chief to be appointed for five years.

Līga Stafecka, an associate researcher at the Providus think tank who focuses on good governance and anti-corruption issues, told Latvian Radio that the timing of the leadership change in relation to the election period was less important than the bureau’s overall effectiveness.

She said the State Audit Office and the University of Latvia are currently evaluating the KNAB’s functions. In her view, it would be more useful to await the results, define clear expectations for the new chief and operate with an interim leader until then.

Stafecka said the bureau had worked at a steady pace during Straume’s tenure, with neither significant improvements nor deterioration. At the same time, its resources had increased considerably, leading her to describe the institution’s situation as stagnant.

She said the next chief should use the bureau’s resources more effectively, strengthen cooperation with other investigative institutions and focus on large and complex corruption cases. Communication with the public would also be important, she said.