2024-03-29 04:06:48
Kariņš leaving the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs on April 10. He explained that this date was chosen because the next regular session of the Saeima is expected on April 11, when the parliament will be able to elect a new foreign minister.
For several months now, the scandal regarding the private flights used by the delegations led by Kariņš during his premiership has been relevant in the public space, which has drawn criticism from a part of society.
From 2021 to September 2023, according to the information gathered by the State Chancellery, 613,830 euros were spent on private flights for the business trips of Kariņas and his employees, but together with the part of the costs covered by the European Union, the expenses reach 1.36 million euros.
Last week, the General Prosecutor’s Office announced that it had opened criminal proceedings for the possible waste of funds related to the use of charter flights for these business trips.
Kariņš has been elected to the 14th Saeima, therefore the politician would now have the right to renew the mandate of a member of the Saeima if he so decided.
Before assuming the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kariņš led two successive governments as Prime Minister. In the previous 13th Saeima, the politician worked for the entire term of the parliament after being approved as prime minister.
On the other hand, the second government of Kariņas worked in the 14th Saeima for less than a year, when he resigned after failing to create a broader coalition.
The archive of the LETA agency shows that the politician was the founder of the predecessor of “Vienotības” – the “Jaunais laiks” party. Kariņš once held the position of a member of the Saeima, minister of economy and member of the European Parliament (EP).
The politician is currently a candidate from the “New Unity” list in the upcoming EP elections at the beginning of June.
It has already been announced that the General Prosecutor’s Office has transferred the criminal proceedings related to private flights to the Office for Prevention and Combating Corruption for investigation, LETA agency learned from the prosecutor’s office.
The General Prosecutor’s Office does not dispute that in the course of the performance of the duties of the highest state officials, situations may arise when it is necessary to use the services of air transport charter flights to ensure business trips. At the same time, it was concluded that there is a real possibility that a criminal offense has occurred.
2024-03-29 04:06:48