State President Egils Levits addresses deputies during the first session of the XIV Saeima.
Photo. LETA © Eddy Palen
Most of the heads of the Saeima commissions, whose work would require permission for information containing state secrets, have not yet received such permission, the LETA agency found.
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In negotiations with the LETA agency, politicians mostly justified this with documents that had not yet been submitted for a permit.
Among the MPs who still do not have access to state secrets are the chairman of the Defense, Internal Affairs and Prevention of Corruption Committee Raimonds Bergmanis (AS) and fellow chairman Edvīns Šnore (NA), head of the Budget and Finance Committee (Taxation). Jānis Reirs (JV), Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee Chairman Ingrīda Cirene (JV), Head of European Affairs Committee Andris Sprūds (P), Head of Legal Affairs Committee Andrejs Judins (JV), Head of the commission for national security Jānis Dombrava (NA), the head of the commission for citizenship, migration and social cohesion Ingmārs Līdaka (AS) and the president Anna Rancāne (JV).
By Monday evening, the LETA agency managed to find out that Defense Minister Ināra Mūrniece (NA) and Justice Minister Inese Lībīņa-Egneri (JV) already have permission, while some other ministers indicated through the press representatives that the permit issue is still pending. LETA has so far been unable to contact several ministers.
At the Office for the Protection of the Constitution (SAB), the LETA agency has learned that some ministers and deputies have already been issued special permits for access to state secrets. The examinations of the other politicians continue according to the procedures and deadlines established by law.
Authorizations are required for all ministers. Permission is required only for those MPs working on Saeima committees, where matters relating to state secrets could be considered.
These are the Defense Commission, Internal Affairs and Corruption Prevention, Budget and Finance Commission (Fisco), Human Rights and Public Affairs Commission, European Affairs Commission, Legal Commission, National Security Commission, Foreign Affairs Commission, Citizenship Commission, Migration and Social Cohesion , the Public Expenditure and Audit Commission, as well as the Parliamentary Investigation Commission.
The criteria for assessing persons are contained in the law “On state secrets”.
The personal examination period is three months. If, for objective reasons, it is not possible to respect the three-month deadline, it can be extended up to another three months by notifying the interested party.
Taking into account the geopolitical situation, inspections are carried out with particular care, says SAB.
At the same time, the previous practice of the Saeima shows that the absence of permission cannot prevent members from working in the individual commissions mentioned, because the agenda of the commissions is only partly constituted by matters relating to state secrecy. These deputies also acted without permission during previous parliamentary calls. For example, Saeima 13th member Jānis Ādamsons, who was later arrested for spying for Russia, did not have a permit.
Since Adamson did not have a state secret clearance, he could not attend meetings of the Defense, Internal Affairs and Prevention of Corruption Committee where state secret items were viewed. The competence of this commission, for example, is to examine questions concerning the budget of the defense and internal affairs sectors, the development priorities of the army and the internal affairs services.
In the agenda of the meeting of this commission, the details of the material and technical supply of the internal affairs sector and the army are classified according to the list of objects of state secrets, and some issues are discussed at the meetings of the relevant classification higher, for example, specific issues dedicated to army procurement.
However, the MEP was able to attend committee meetings, where officials from the defense and home affairs sectors present information with limited availability.
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