Suspends General Kopeik; the investigation was started according to the article on falsification of service

A week ago, the military police shook down and detained the head of the State Defense Logistics and Procurement Center (VALIC), Ervina Kopeik. The Ministry of Defense did not specifically announce this event, only the website of the center shows that Brigadier General Kopeika no longer heads the institution under the authority of the Minister. The investigation was started according to the article on the forgery of the service, LTV program “de facto” reports.

“Yes, we are currently at the stage where the Military Police has started this investigation and further we rely on the fact that the criminal process will take its course, responsibly, with all the appropriate conclusions,” says Minister of Defense Andris Spruds (P).

The so-called VALIC provides the logistics of material and technical means in the defense sector, including procurement for the needs of the ministry’s institutions and the National Armed Forces (NBS).

Minister Spruds refrains from revealing what exactly the investigation is about: “It is clear that here, while the criminal process is ongoing, no further comments are made. The only thing I can confirm is that, just like that, the head of VALIC has been removed from his position, a new acting head of VALIC has been appointed.”

The ministry explains that Kopeika’s suspension was requested by a duly authorized public official. In his place, the responsibilities of the head of VALIC have been entrusted to Mārtiņas Libertas, director general of the Latvian Geospatial Information Agency.

Unofficial information received by “de facto” shows that the investigation against Kopeik was not started for any procurement, but for document processing. From public sources, it can be seen that in the first year of covid, 2020, at the end of May, the US Embassy presented the representatives of the Latvian government with a gift – disinfectants for hands and disposable gloves for the safe conduct of centralized exams in Latvian schools.

Funding of 13,500 euros donated by the cooperation program of the US Armed Forces European Command was used to purchase 1,000 liters of disinfectant and 22,500 pairs of gloves. Delivery to schools was provided by NBS in cooperation with municipalities.

As far as the program is aware, the donation was first registered in the balance sheet of another institution – the State Defense Military Facilities and Procurement Center. After its reorganization, disinfectants and gloves, which had long been distributed to schools, were transferred to VALIC headed by Kopeikas. Therefore, it is not excluded that criminal proceedings have been initiated for incorrect write-off of property.

The Armed Forces officially confirmed only that the Military Police investigation was opened against one person for forgery.

Kopeika, who was dismissed from his position, refused to talk about the circumstances of the investigation in a short telephone conversation with “de facto”, but clearly stated that the initiation of the case against him was connected to the checks he had 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,” says Kopeika.

He claims that since the beginning of the year he has thoroughly checked the procurements of the Ministry of Defense and discovered significant violations – both document forgeries and possible unauthorized agreements. Having also, as he says, found out the real people responsible for the purchase of 220 million euros of food.

“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,” says the suspended brigadier general.

Another source also “de facto” confirmed that Kopeik had disagreements with certain 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 the term of office of the head of VALIC and to rotate him in another position, but at that time the newly appointed Minister of Defense Spruds was not so categorical. Kopeik was allowed to continue his work, but, as it turned out, not for long. Due to the investigation by the Military Police, Kopeika is now suspended.

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. However, Kopeika has appealed the sentence.

It should be noted that the balance of legal proceedings in the food procurement case is not encouraging for the Ministry of Defense. The ministry has already lost two lawsuits against the dismissed employees: the head of the procurement commission, Erika Ezeriņa, and the head of the NBS procurement and contracts department, Imantas Freiberg.

In the case of Ezeriņš, the court took into account both the “excellent” evaluation he had previously received, and the fact that the ministry did not evaluate the application of a lighter disciplinary punishment. “Applicant [Ērika Ezeriņa] the wrongdoing of the action in the appealed order is related to only one violation, moreover, due to carelessness, which was committed due to the fact that the applicant unreasonably trusted the information provided by the official responsible for procurement,” reads the judgment of the Administrative District Court.

From the information provided by the ministry and the officials’ declarations, it can be concluded that both Ezeriņš and Freibergs, who were released from their positions due to food procurement, have been reinstated this year.