Strelchenok plans to become candidate for a second term as Chief of KNAB

Current head of Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau Yaroslav Strelchenok plans to become a candidate for a second term in his post.

He told 900 seconds programme that he plans to apply for participation. Before that, however, he wishes to learn the specific criteria of the personnel selection process

He noted that he has no plans to consult with political parties. He will, however, provide his views to Saeima factions if he makes it to the state of the selection process that requires it.

On Tuesday, 2 August, the Cabinet of Ministers will decide as to whether or not to accept the new personnel selection and evaluation process for candidates to become chief Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau.

Previously the Cabinet of Ministers Committee excluded the point from the new order that stated the following: if all personnel selection contenders receive less than 40 points in the second stage, the committee decides to end the selection process without any results. Education and Science Minister Karlis Sadurskis was the one who requested this point to be removed. He said that members of the personnel selection committee are all reasonable people who can decide on candidates’ approval. Other ministers agreed with Sadurskis.

Delna NGO opposed the practice to not disclose the name of the potential Chief of KNAB all the way until the final approval – a practice often used in other institutions. The Cabinet of Ministers Committee expressed support in favour of a compromise solution – disclosure of names of candidates who make it to the second stage of the selection process.

Previously the Cabinet of Ministers Committee held discussions in regards to taking action in situations when votes of the personnel selection committee divide evenly toward the same potential candidate. KNAB urged the government to establish a rule that in such cases the vote would be in favour of the person. The State Chancellery, on the other hand, stated that the vote of the head of the committee should be the deciding one. After discussions, Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis and several ministers noted that the vote of the head of the committee would be the deciding one.

In regards to the requirement for candidate to have ‘spotless reputation’, it was proposed during discussions to associate this requirement with access to official secrets. This means the chief of KNAB needs to gain access to official secrets, which is impossible for a person who has problems with his reputation.

Officials also voiced multiple proposals in regards to the scoring points to candidates for having certain skills. Delna, for example, opposed the current order under which points are awarded.

Nevertheless, the prime minister mentioned that he is not ready to change the rules regarding points and their proportion. Education and Science Minister Karlis Sadurskis expressed a similar opinion. At the same time, KNAB and the State Chancellery could discuss this matter in detail later and offer changes based on results of those talks.

The new order states – to apply for participation in the KNAB chief candidate selection process, contenders have to submit an application to the State Chancellery and provide a letter of introduction, detailing personal motivation and vision for KNAB’s priorities, development and improvements to the established anti-corruption measures in Latvia. Candidates also have to provide references from previous job posts, a copy of their education certificate, documents proving their foreign language skills (at least B level).

KNAB officials and workers trade union has not approved this initiative. The trade union opposes the current redaction of the legislative draft because the importance of actual experience in operational activities and investigation accounts for only 5% of all requirements, which unjustifiably reduces the chances of crime and corruption prevention specialists to take part in the personnel selection process.

The trade union believes that it is necessary to clarify the point regarding the overall evaluation of candidates, specifically when the committee counts the total number of points given to candidates by the committee.

Yaroslav Strelchenok, the current Chief of KNAB, was appointed by the Saeima on 17 November 2011. At the end of 2015 Strelchenok said he will candidate for the next term if such a possibility appears.

BNN/LETA 

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