Do discrediting connections exist? Security services revealed why mayors are not granted access to Latvia's secrets 0 9

In dozens of cases, the Security Police had to extend the verification deadlines due to the very large volume of information being checked and the need to obtain additional information.

The most common risk factors identified by the service include, for example, trips to Russia or Belarus, having relatives or other contacts in Russia or Belarus, participation in previous cross-border cooperation projects with Russia or Belarus, dissemination of messages based on Kremlin propaganda, as well as the initiation of a criminal case against an official.

The report does not state whether any of these risk factors served as grounds for denying access. At the same time, the Security Police confirms that last year, the chairman of a municipality was denied access to state secrets based on a provision of the state secrets law stating that a person had previously been convicted of committing a deliberate crime.

This year and last year, the Security Police issued special permits for access to state secrets to 40 chairpersons and 71 deputy chairpersons of municipalities.

In 94 cases, a special permit was issued for the full five-year term, while 17 officials - eight chairpersons and nine deputies - received special permits for a shorter term.