On 6th October 2020 , Mr Jēkabs Straume, the Director of the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) and Ms Ingūna Aire, Deputy State Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, signed an agreement on the implementation of the “Support for the establishment of a whistle-blowing system in Latvia” project.
KNAB has received support for the implementation of the project “Support for the establishment of a whistle-blowing system in Latvia” within the framework of the “International Police Cooperation and Combating Crime” program, co-funded by a European Economic Area (EEA) grant.
The goal of the project is to promote public involvement in reporting corruption and other latent crimes, while simultaneously providing the public with a safe and convenient reporting channel, as well as improving KNAB competence in detecting and investigating corruptive criminal offences.
Within the framework of the project, the implementation of three important activities is planned by 31 December 2022: a) creation of an online reporting platform for reporting issues within the competence of KNAB; b) organizing two large-scale social campaigns to promote public awareness of the kinds of corruption and the need to report observed violations; as well c) implementing measures to strengthen the investigative and analytical capacity of KNAB.
The first social campaign, which aims to promote public awareness of the negative impact of corruption not only on the national economy, but on the standard of living of every resident, as well as the importance of reporting in reducing corruption, is expected to launch early 2021.
According to the project implementation schedule, the online reporting platform is planned to be made available to the public by the end of 2021. The main difference from existing reporting platforms is that the information provider will be able to follow the progress of their report, including in cases where the information will have been provided anonymously.
The implementation of the project “Support for the establishment of a whistle-blowing system in Latvia” has been allocated funding in the amount of 650 000 euros, comprising 552 500 euros funded by the EEA, and 97 500 euros from the Latvian State budget.
For more information: https://www.iem.gov.lv/en/european-economic-area-eea-financial-mechanism-2014-2021