(Luxembourg, 3 April 2025) – On behalf of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) in Riga (Latvia), the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) carried out searches today and detained five suspects, including the mayor of Jēkabpils, other public officials and representatives of private companies, in a probe into the construction of a €16.9 million anti-flooding dam, co-funded by the EU.
According to the investigation, municipal officials may have committed, in collusion with representatives of private companies, illicit acts during the public procurement procedure for the construction of an infrastructure to prevent floods in the city of Jēkabpils. The project involved the reconstruction of embankments along both banks of the Daugava River and building of anti-flood infrastructure, following massive floods in 2023 that severely damaged the existing protective structure. The project, worth over €16.9 million, was co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to up to 85%, with the remaining 15% funded by the State budget.
The suspects include the mayor, the deputy mayor and members of the municipal council of Jēkabpils, as well as representatives from private companies. The public officials are believed to have manipulated the public call for tender, through abuse of their position, in order to put pre-selected construction companies in a privileged position in the public procurement procedure.
The EPPO also suspects that other provisions were violated, including the building regulations and technological requirements. Based on the evidence, building materials of insufficient quality may have been used and the materials for the construction may have been overpriced.
All persons concerned are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in the competent Latvian courts of law.
The EPPO is the independent public prosecution office of the European Union. It is responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to judgment crimes against the financial interests of the EU.