Corruption, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Legislation, Transport

CBA agents from Bialystok this week have detained a member of the management board of a company producing municipal fleet vehicle near the Polish city of Poznan, and in Warsaw one of the company's commercial directors. The officers of the Latvian anti-corruption service KNAB detained four persons in Riga: among them a director responsible in the local public transport company Rigas Satiksme for tenders and people who helped to hide a EUR 800,000 bribe.

The CBA findings indicate that the money was to be a payment, a financial benefit for arranging a contract for the delivery of nearly 200 buses and trolleybuses to Riga. The tenders were organized by Rigas Satiksme in 2013-2016.

According to the CBA agents from Bialystok, those 800,000 euros, were to be "laundered" in tranches under the guise of payment for fictitious consulting services through a chain of subsidiaries from Latvia, Cyprus, Hong Kong and China before the money went to Riga, the Polish anti-corruption agency informs.

Persons detained by CBA agents from Bialystok will be transferred to the Regional Prosecutor's Office in Poznan, where they will be charged with corruption and money laundering.

The detainees' offices were searched at the headquarters of the Polish company and places of residence of the detained persons. A number of searches also took place in Latvia.

The case is ongoing, the CBA points out.

According to LETA archives, Rigas Satiksme has been purchasing public transportation vehicles from Polish company Solaris Bus & Coach for several years.

As reported, six persons have been detained by the Corruption Prevention Bureau (KNAB) in Latvia in conection witht the procurement scandal involving the Rigas Satiksme municipal public transport company, as well as another two have been detained in Poland.

The KNAB informed today that it carried out over 30 searches yesterday in connection with this investigation.

The bureau points out that a large-scale investigation is currently underway and it is also working together with the Polish Anti Corruption Agency in this investigation. Eight persons have been detained so far - six in Latvia and two in Poland.

The KNAB informs it will not comment in more detail at the moment in the interests of the investigation.