In the Ogre regional municipality, at least 1.2 million euros were spent in violation of regulatory requirements, over three million were spent ineconomically, and hundreds of thousands of euros possibly simply disappeared without reporting, TV3 reported on Monday evening.
TV3 did not make this up, but refers to a draft audit report from the State Audit Office.
The long-time mayor of Ogre, Egils Helmanis, during whose term the mentioned transactions took place, is one of the driving forces of the National Alliance. Helmanis hastened to label the auditors' findings as fabrications of the State Audit Office.
So, what did the state auditors 'make up'?
For example, in the draft report that the State Audit Office planned to publish in June, it states that obligations amounting to 827,000 euros for the school project in Kaibale were undertaken by the municipality even before the decision of the council. At the same time, for the delay in construction works, the municipality did not impose the penalty stipulated in the contract — nearly 140,000 euros.
Another 195,000 euros were allocated to the Ogre basketball club, but the municipality received neither reports nor a refund, and the society has already been liquidated.
Additionally, 24,000 euros were spent on raising the vessel 'Līgo', categorizing these expenses as social assistance.
In several procurements, the State Audit Office identified possible signs of fraud. Connections were found between procurement participants, municipal deputies, and employees of the fund established by the municipality.
The reward policy was also criticized. For instance, two people were simultaneously receiving salaries for fulfilling the duties of one position. A bonus was paid to only one official, although nearly 200 employees met the criteria.
