The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) has successfully completed a three-year project, co-funded by the European Economic Area (EEA) Grants, aimed at supporting the establishment of a whistleblowing system in Latvia. The project aimed to encourage public participation in reporting corruption and other latent crimes, while providing citizens with a secure and convenient reporting channel, and to enhance KNAB’s capacity to detect and investigate corruption crimes.
KNAB successfully implemented three main project activities: the creation of a new online reporting platform, two public awareness campaigns, and various measures to strengthen KNAB’s investigative and analytical capacity.
KNAB Director Jēkabs Straume stated: “Law enforcement agencies must offer a variety of channels for reporting potential illegal activities. Thanks to the EEA Grants project, Latvian residents can report potential corruption to KNAB through a convenient, modern, and innovative platform. The project has also strengthened KNAB’s capacity and skills in working with whistleblowers and investigating corruption crimes. We are working together for a secure and competitive Europe!”
KNAB reached a significant milestone in September of last year when it launched the “Report to KNAB” platform. This innovative platform offers citizens a new and improved way to report suspected acts of corruption.
Unlike previous reporting channels, the new platform provides a unique feature that allows individuals to track the progress of their reports. This transparency ensures that citizens not only receive feedback on their submissions but also have the opportunity to provide additional information or communicate securely with the assigned KNAB official.
The platform is designed to be user-friendly, allowing both individuals and legal entities to submit reports, including anonymous ones. Additionally, it fully complies with the requirements of Latvia’s Whistleblowing Law, enabling individuals to submit whistleblower reports through the platform.
To facilitate easy access, the platform can be used both online at zino.knab.gov.lv and through the “Report to KNAB” mobile app.”
To raise public awareness of the reporting platform and encourage people to speak up about potential corruption, KNAB launched a public information campaign in September 2023 titled “Korupcija SMACĒ! Ziņo KNAB!” In 2021, KNAB implemented an information campaign aimed at increasing public understanding of the negative consequences of corruption and reducing public tolerance for corruption.
Over 13 extensive training sessions, the project strengthened the competencies of over 850 individuals in financial investigations and analysis, detection and investigation of cross-border corruption crimes, working with whistleblowers, and other related topics. These trained individuals work not only at KNAB but also at the State Revenue Service, the Financial Intelligence Unit, the State Police, the Internal Security Bureau, and the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Latvia.
Additionally, KNAB employees’ knowledge was enhanced through 11 international exchange visits to Liechtenstein, Iceland, Austria, Italy, Slovakia, and other countries. These visits primarily focused on learning about partner agencies’ experience in analytics, strengthening existing cooperation, and establishing new contacts for future effective cooperation and exchange of experience.
The project also conducted three public opinion polls to assess the attitudes of Latvian residents and businesses towards corruption. Over a three-year period, there were minimal changes in both residents’ and businesses’ attitudes towards bribery, with an average of four out of five residents and businesses rejecting bribery. This indicates a consistent and generally disapproving attitude towards bribery among the population.
KNAB implemented the EEA Grants co-funded project “Support for the establishment of a whistleblowing system in Latvia” from October 6, 2020, to April 30 of this year. Support for the implementation of the project was received from the EEA Grants 2014-2021 period program “International Police Cooperation and Combating Crime”.
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