Seven criminal trials are currently pending for alleged offences committed during the construction of the eastern border infrastructure, but the border has not yet been completed. No politician has taken responsibility for what Latvian Radio says is a ten-year delay.
'Are civil servants and not politicians really responsible for the endless mess with the construction of the border?' asked Latvian Radio.
At the moment, the works on the construction of the Russian border continue, and there is already a couple of meters high gray metal mesh fence with barbed wire mounted on top. A ten-meter-wide strip of sand runs beside it. A little further on, a fence is being assembled, the tractor is digging a ditch along the previously driven posts. The fence is dug in a bit so that it is not easy to dig underneath.
The general contractor for the construction of the border is now the state-owned company "Valsts nekustamie ipšumimi" (State Real Estate/VNĪ). At the end of 2021, VNĪ started construction on the border with Belarus. The fence was completed there this summer, and now the construction of roads and patrol paths continues.
The border with Russia should have been completed in 2019. From 2015, the Border Guard had a contract with the road construction company "Igate". However, the State Audit Office and investigators discovered illegalities, and construction did not take place for almost five years.
"If we are talking about the border between Latvia and Russia, almost 100 kilometers had already been built there with the previous builder, the infrastructure had also been built. The section where nothing had been built was 53 kilometers," says Jelena Gavrilova, a member of the board of VNĪ.
More than 180 kilometers of fences, roads and paths still need to be built. Six construction companies are performing the works in different stages .
"The plan is to finish everything in the dry areas by the end of the year, and then by October of next year to complete this. This is both in our plan and this is the government's task. We will continue to work on the infrastructure, but the primary need is the construction of the fence," Gavrilova explains.
According to her, the construction is mainly complicated by swamps and harsh weather conditions.
Yet despite the act that it has not carried out any work for five years, the contract concluded with the company "Igate" on the construction of the border is still valid. Negotiations on how to resolve it are ongoing.
Although Gavrilova does not reveal at what stage the negotiations are at the moment, it is known to Latvian Radio that exactly the question of how and who will eliminate nonconformities in the project is the main stumbling block. It could cost several million euros.
If it is undertaken by VNĪ, then it may turn out that the state will have paid twice for the same work.
The company "Igate" is not going to just walk away. In a written reply, the representative of "Igate", Jurģis Kijoneks, states that they have acted according to the wishes of the customer, that is, the State Border Guard.
"The company has carried out all works in accordance with the wishes and needs of the customer, while constantly proving its ability, desire and readiness to put the infrastructure built on the border into operation. Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond the control of the company, it has not been possible until now, despite the fact that the built infrastructure has been intensively operated without proper maintenance since its construction," says Jurģis Kijoneks.
The representative of "Igate" also emphasizes that the company is ready to fulfill the contract.
"The company has never wanted to cancel the concluded contract, on the contrary – it constantly indicates its ability, desire and readiness to fulfill the obligations assumed by the contract," says Kijoneks.
On September 12 of this year, the Kurzeme District Court held a court session in video conference mode in one of the criminal cases initiated in connection with the construction of the eastern border. It took a long time to read all the accused and the articles of the criminal law against them.
According to the indictment, representatives of the "Igate" company, construction supervisors and border guard employees are being sued for using cheaper materials in the construction of the border than is provided for in the project. Also, the border guard has allegedly paid for works that are not provided for in the procurement.
The prosecutor believes that as a result of the fraud, the border guard illegally paid out millions of euros from its own money to the company.
The case has been in court for two years. At the moment, it is not known when the verdict of the first instance could be reached.
"Igate" co-owner Māris Peilāns, construction supervisor Valērijs Bluss and former border guard officers Uldis Zemmers and Jolanta Ķikute are among the accused. But this is just one of seven criminal cases initiated in connection with the strengthening of the eastern border.
In another case, the former head of the border guard service, Normunds Garbars is among the accused. Criminal cases are related to improper purchases of cameras and sensors.
Employees of the State Security Agency are being sued for buying inadequate temporary barbed wire for the Belarusian border, as well as for felling protected trees cut down near the border strip.
In none of these cases has here been even a first-instance verdict – suggesting the case could drag on for a lot longer yet.
