Another official suspended over IT procurement scandal

The director of the State Digital Development Agency (SDAA) has suspended Oļegs Filipovičs, the director of the Information Technology Support Department, from his duties for an indefinite period, it has been announced.

Filipovičs' name has been linked to a scandal over fraud with state institutions' information technology (IT) procurements. 

A criminal case has been pending in the Riga City Court for more than a year, in which Fiļipovičs, along with two officials of the Citizenship and Migration Affairs Department and businessman Renārs Kadžulis, have been accused of illegal activities in the procurement of the Electronic Online Voter Register, as previously reported by the Latvian Television program "De facto".

In this process, Filipovičs has been charged with abuse of office, resulting in serious consequences, as well as aiding and abetting large-scale fraud. 

At the same time, Fiļipovičs is involved in another criminal case initiated by the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) for leaking undisclosed information about IT procurements in state institutions. As part of this case, another senior official, Edvīns Balševics, was suspended last week .

Police have arrested a total of 21 people, including public officials, in a case opened by the European Public Prosecutor's Office for alleged fraud in IT procurement worth more than 1.5 million euros, as previously reported.