The prosecution is investigatng the fact that officials responsible for the implementation of the Rail Baltica project had uncoordinatedly assumed obligations towards the state budget by concluding contracts for construction works for the Riga railway bridge, embankment and Central Passenger Station complex and for the implementation of the Rail Baltica station and related infrastructure at Riga Airport.
On Thursday the Saeima also decided to set up a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the mistakes made during the Rail Baltica project, following a proposal by 34 opposition and non-partisan MPs.
There is currently a lack of clarity on the model for the operation and management of the Rail Baltica railway line, according to the report of the Rail Baltica project situation study carried out by the supreme audit institutions of the Baltic States.
According to the latest Rail Baltica cost-benefit analysis, the total cost of the line in the Baltics could reach €23.8 billion, including €15.3 billion for the first phase of the project in the Baltics and €6.4 billion in Latvia. A previous cost-benefit analysis in 2017 estimated the total cost of the project at €5.8 billion.
The State Audit Office's report on the progress of the adoption of the scope changes for the Latvian section of Rail Baltica concluded that the construction costs of the Latvian section of Rail Baltica could reach €8.7 billion, €4.55 billion more than forecast in 2022.
