The head of the State Defense Logistics and Procurement Center has been dismissed from his position due to the criminal proceedings

The investigation is said to have been started according to the section of the Criminal Law on falsification of service. A week ago, the MP raided VALIC and detained Kopeika, but an authorized state official demanded his suspension.

Meanwhile, the responsibilities of VALIC manager have been entrusted to Mārtiņas Libertas, director general of the Latvian Geospatial Information Agency.

Officially, it is not revealed what exactly the criminal proceedings were initiated for, but the unofficial information available to “De facto” indicates that the investigation could be related to an incorrect write-off of property.

At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, at the end of May 2020, the USA donated 13,500 euros to Latvia to purchase disinfectants and disposable gloves for safe centralized exams in Latvian schools. The funds were purchased and delivered to schools by the National Armed Forces (NBS) in cooperation with local governments.

As the program found out, the aforementioned donation was first registered in the balance sheet of the then State Defense Military Facilities and Procurement Center. This institution was later reorganized into VALIC.

After the reorganization, disinfectants and gloves, which had been distributed to schools for a long time, were transferred to VALIC. Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that criminal proceedings have been initiated for incorrect write-off of property, the program reported.

The NBS officially confirms only that the Ministry of Justice has opened an investigation against one person for forgery.

Kopeika refused to talk about the circumstances of the investigation with “De facto”, but clearly stated that the initiation of the criminal process is connected with the inspections he himself carried out in the institution.

“Basically, the officials who are responsible for procurement control find a n-th year old case, and then it was pulled out at this very time when I was investigating, I think, more important things.

And, miraculously, relatives of people connected with procurement are also involved in this case. Well, a lot of coincidences. A little earlier, the same people, about a month ago, tried to fabricate a case of mobbing against me. There was an attempt to suspend me already in March,” said Kopeika.

He claimed that since the beginning of the year, he had thoroughly checked the procurements of the Ministry of Defense and discovered significant violations – both falsification of documents and possibly unauthorized agreements.

Having also, as he says, found out the real people responsible for the scandalous purchase of 220 million euros of food for the needs of the army.

“The appeal against me has been going on for a long time. If this case of why I was suspended had been discovered at a different time, all due respect. I do not shirk responsibility. If I have violated something, I will answer,” the suspended brigadier general told the program.

Another source also confirmed “De facto” that Kopeik had disagreements with some VALIC colleagues.

Former Minister of Defense Ināra Mūrniece (NA) last October in the LTV program “What’s happening in Latvia?” revealed that she had planned not to extend Kopeika’s term of office as head of VALIC and to rotate him to another position, however, governments changed and Defense Minister Andris Spruds (P) allowed Kopeika to continue his work.

Kopeika was one of those punished in the scandalous army food procurement. The Ministry imposed a withholding of his monthly salary for a certain period of time. Kopeika appealed the sentence.

The head of VALIC’s procurement commission Āriks Ezeriņš and the head of the Procurement and Contracts Department of the Supply Board of the NBS Security Command, Imants Freibergs, also disputed the disciplinary punishments applied to them in connection with the mentioned procurement.

Both won in court and now continue to work in the Ministry of Defense.