President demands second thoughts on 'oligarch conversation' commission

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President Raimonds Vējonis on July 28 asked Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, to reconsider the composition of a parliamentary commission tasked with investigating the so-called 'oligarch conversations' scandal. 

On Friday Vējonis met with the speaker of the Saeima, Ināra Mūrniece, at Riga Castle. During the meeting, the President asked the Saeima to assess whether the parliamentary inquiry commission, in the context of the conversations with Ridzene Hotel, would be able, under the leadership of Inguna Sudraba, to fulfill the tasks provided by the Saeima, strengthen public confidence in the state power and the rule of law.

The President also informed Mūrniece that he had sent a letter today to the leaders of the various parliamentary factions of the Saeima asking them to reflect on the suitability of Sudraba as the head of the parliamentary commission.

"In order for the commission to carry out the tasks entrusted to it and to achieve the result, all its members need a good reputation and enjoy public support. There can be no doubt about the potential [conflicts of] interest of the members of the commission or other circumstances that may hinder the quality and efficiency of the commission's work," Vējonis said.

As previously reported by LSM, there was widespread criticism of the appointment of Sudraba to head the commission given that she was named in the very conversations she would be responsible for investigating.

In recent weeks as the scandal has swirled around the corridors of power in Riga, Vējonis has himself come under fire for not taking a tougher line. 

 

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