Unity Accused of Illegal Use of SOAAR System at Party Conferences: KNAB Launches Investigation

As you know, “SOAAR” accused “Unity” in the use of the system developed by the illegal company at party conferences. The company claims that “SOAAR” technical support has cost the party several tens of thousands of euros over eight years, but the political force has not paid for it.

“There were a lot of strange things. ‘Unity’ behaved, I would say, like political spies.

During the Saeima elections 2014, on the night of the elections, Artis Kampars suddenly calls me, calls me out and says that it seems that our chairwoman Solvita Āboltiņa will not be elected. We have to make you choose it.

I am saying do you understand what you are asking, that you want to hide the results of the election. I will never go down that path in my life. And I refused. [Kampars] He said – then everything will be fine,” Kažulis said in the program.

He said that these statements can only be confirmed because Āboltiņa was not elected in the end, but she joined the 12th Saeima after serving as deputy. the command was laid down Jānis Junkurs was elected to the Saeima from the “Vienotības” list. He announced that he had received a job offer from a company in Hong Kong. In the declaration of his state official however did not appear work in a Hong Kong company, which led to the decision that he left the Saeima to make room for Aboltiņa.

Kadžulis said he reported the incident to the Constitutional Protection Bureau (SAB), but there was no response.

“I reported several times to the SAB. Do you think something happened? It’s like the face of the wall there, just like in the Office for the Prevention and Combating of Corruption (KNAB). At one time, hands go down to report something, because nobody is doing anything,” Kajulis said.

The president of “Vienotības”, the Minister of Finance Arvils Asheradens (“Jauna Vienotības”), after listening to what Kažulis said in the program, said that interfering with elections would be a serious violation, so these statements must be study.

Talk about the KNAB started regional study in connection with the possible illegal use of the system developed by “SOAAR” at the “Vienotība” party congresses, the deputy head of investigative operations of KNAB Ineta Cīrule said that five year of the statute of limitations for criminal liability. “SOAAR” claims that the last services without compensation were provided to “Vienotis” in 2019.

On the other hand, the head of the Bankruptcy Investigation Department of the KNAB Political Group, Amīlija Raituma, stressed that if it is proven that these transactions were made and received for free, it is considered a free benefit. ‘ there, the party should not be. accept it at all.

At the same time, the director of the think tank “Providus”, Iveta Kažoka, expressed in the program that it is difficult to believe the statements she heard, at the same time emphasizing that the Law enforcement authorities have so far given priority to the “investigation of such. serious crimes, especially harmful to society”, but instead looked at errors that were easily detected in the reports of the parties political.

“It’s hard to believe that things have happened so crazy. I have my doubts whether it is true, but I see a big problem that we don’t have a chance to verify in a normal way what really happened, “said Kažoka, noting that the public usually learn about more serious violations only after several years, when the investigation can no longer be held.

Raituma disagreed with this, saying that KNAB, after assessing the circumstances, comes to conclusions and changes its approach and methods of investigation, but this is not enough: “We at the red line when legislative changes need to be reviewed, in particular – changes to the Criminal Law.”

CONTEXT:

On Sunday, the TV3 program “Neka personalisa” reported that “Unitība” eight years free used the system created by the IT company “SOAAR” for elections in conferences.

“SOAAR” is involved in a criminal case for being able to embezzle the budget funds of the Central Election Commission (CVK) on a large scale, in which the prosecutor’s office brought charges against the former chairman of the Central Election Commission , Kristīne Bērziņa, two. other staff of the Commission and a representative from “SOAAR”. In KNAB’s assessment, these people may have taken steps so that the specialized information technology company would receive the right to provide services in the 2021 municipal elections as a result of the procurement negotiation procedure.

The former manager of the office “Vienotības” Normunds Orleāns has said that the party has threatened businessmen to get services for free. “Nothing personal” reports that it is about the company “SOAAR”, which is said to be required to provide electronic vote counting at “Vienotības” conferences.

“Nothing personal” said that “SOAAR” technical support cost the party more than 20,000 euros, but the political force did not pay for it. Renārs Kadžulis, a member of the company’s board, claims that the services were requested from him from 2011, until 2020 he refused and demanded payment. Soon after, he reportedly began having problems with law enforcement authorities, which has now led to four criminal trials.

For eight years, “SOARR” has provided 47 election procedures in 13 “Vienotības” events – eight general meetings and five conferences of the Riga branch. The businessman estimates that it cost him around 22,000 euros. The service was not reported by the party and is not recorded as a donation or service. In the party’s declarations from 2014, the item – the costs of organizing the conference – appears.