Against the background of pandemic victims and counting of the infected, the annual statement of the US Embassy in Latvia on International Anti-Corruption Day has remained almost unnoticed. This is one of the most important summaries of sub-texts, in which the latest orders are announced to the Latvian government and we are warned about the consequences in case of non-compliance with these orders.
This year, the announcement has been especially elaborate. It can be viewed here.
At other times, the embassy simply distributed the text of the ambassador's speech, but this time the address was designed as a kind of show with invited background actors. Not only the US Ambassador John Carwile but also the President of Latvia Egils Levits, ambassadors of several other countries, Attorney General Stukāns, financial intelligence Znotiņa, representatives of the government and civil society take part in it. The overall message is shared by the speakers and filmed in the spirit of Hollywood, like a movie trailer. The first frame is the NATO flag, the first words in the President's mouth are OUR LIBERTY. So that's important.
Everything is important in this video message. Both what officials say and what is displayed on the screen. American tanks at Ādaži polygon, specific court hearings, specific defendants, specific judges, titles of specific publications. Even buildings.
While solemn talks about the harmfulness of corruption are heard in the background, logos are displayed on the screen or indirect hints are given about the following specific Latvian banks: ABLV, Rietumu banka, BlueOrange Bank, Trasta komercbanka in liquidation, AS Expobank.
(Perhaps some more that I did not notice.) Now would be good to recall the context of the US Embassy's announcement on International Anti-Corruption Day 2018. That is the so-called overhaul of the Latvian financial sector, as a result of which Latvian banks have had to give up almost entirely servicing third-country nationals. At that time, on the initiative of the US Treasury Department, the closure of ABLV bank had already begun. But an unexpected twist took place. The shareholders decided to self-liquidate the bank without waiting for compulsory liquidation. A few days later, the then US Ambassador, Nancy Bikoff Pettit, issued a statement entitled "Corruption in Latvia is not a victimless crime" and listed specific orders to be made to the Latvian government. These include the reform of the banking sector and a special emphasis on fast-tracking corruption cases. Meanwhile, from informal diplomatic channels followed an appendix to this statement - both ABLV bankers are to be imprisoned, but the bank's self-liquidation must be replaced by compulsory liquidation - with appointed administrators, respectively. This has not yet happened, and the new video from the US Embassy must be seen in this context.
Latvia is presented in the video message as a source of corruption. Attorney General Juris Stukāns reads a text from a teleprompter about how corruption weakens the country, but in the background an old vagrant, a dilapidated road, and an airport sign are shown. Although ambassadors from several countries take part in the message, none of them mentions that there is corruption in their country as well. Money, for example, has also been laundered through Scandinavian banks. Earlier this week, the Swedish business newspaper Dagens Industri reported that money laundering was being investigated in the United States against Swedbank, SEB, and Danske Bank.
But corruption is synonymous with Latvia. The question is who is to blame and what the consequences will be. It is significant that the parliamentary secretary of the Prime Minister Evika Siliņa quotes exactly the same statement as Nancy Baikof-Petita in 2018 - corruption is not a victimless crime, adding that “If left unchecked, it harms all of us, and can undermine the progress we’ve made to secure our sovereignty.”
Latvia's independence, sovereignty, and security are repeatedly invoked in the message. President Levits states that "the fight against corruption must be a major element in our individual and collective defense." The Canadian Ambassador to Latvia, Kevin Rex, explains that "corruption is a foothold for hostile actors from the outside" and here it is important to note that Canada leads the NATO force battalion in Latvia. What is the conclusion from all this? That Latvia, by not fighting corruption, may be left without the support of the allies in the field of defense. In fact, it is like blackmail.
What Latvia needs to do to ensure that it is not deprived of the shield of its allies is explained by other speakers in their texts, and in fact the whole message is related to the operation of Latvian courts - the corrupt actors must be arrested faster and in greater numbers.
It is both shown with footage from the courtroom and said directly in the text.
The Ambassador of Finland to Latvia, Riitta Korpivaara, congratulates Latvia on the amendments to the Criminal Law and the Criminal Procedure Law, “that will speed up court cases and bring corrupt actors to justice sooner. We look forward to the new Economic Court that should commence work in January."
Of course, the central role in this address is played by the US Ambassador Carwile:
"We are providing training and expert advice to help Latvia establish strong protection for whistleblowers who shed light on corruption, fraud, waste, and abuse of office. We are working with Latvia to support public servants who stand up to criminal interests with training programs for investigators, prosecutors, and judges, to help them bring corrupt actors to justice and to make sure that crime does not pay.”
It should be reminded that not all Latvian lawyers are enthusiastic about the content of training and instructions gifted by the USA. Overseas Lady Justice works very differently from ours, and recently extensive discussions in the professional environment were triggered by the initiative of the country's main financial intelligence Ilze Znotiņa to restrict the rights of the defense party to call witnesses and perform accounting examinations. The Latvian Association of Judges then stated: "Neither the Financial Intelligence Unit nor its head, Ms. I. Znotiņa, has nor can it have any influence on the handling of cases in court."
The Latvian courts are currently under clear pressure to work faster, seize more in money laundering cases, but there is no need for evidence or a conviction.
It is not for nothing that Ilze Znotiņa has been invited to participate in the video announcement of the US Embassy on the International Anti-Corruption Day. And not the management of the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau. After the praise from the Finnish ambassador for the progress made in Latvia over the past two years, Znotiņa says the following:
"This progress was not easy, but it demonstrates that by working together with partner countries, business leaders, and non-government organizations, a determined nation can strike a blow against corruption." And in the background, someone is handcuffed. But at the end of the film trailer, Inese Tauriņa, the director of the Society for Transparency Delna, prophesies: “We must remain vigilant. The fight is not over, and those who wish to undermine our freedom will continue their work. We stand together with Latvia in this fight because we are stronger when we are all prosperous, stable, and secure.” The word "secure" sounds final. That is the key.
In diplomacy, texts must be read between the lines. An appointment or cancellation of an appointment between some people is a signal. There is a difference between the words "condemn" and "strongly condemn", there can be an ordinary act of violence and a cowardly act of violence. Nor is the mobilization of the diplomatic corps to make a joint statement and filming at the foot of the Freedom Monument a coincidence or a quick idea from the producer. And the message they create is more complex than that one sentence: corruption is not a victimless crime. There will obviously be new victims. But, of course, you can look at all this plainly and ignore the encoded subtexts, because not everyone is meant for them and not everyone should understand them.
Neatkarīgā asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for an explanation of the allied message. We asked if it was translated from the diplomatic language into one that was more understandable to domestic officials and politicians. And the press secretary of the ministry Jānis Beķeris answered:
"I watched the video you mentioned - definitely the institutions involved in its creation will tell you better about this campaign - the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not among them. We can only say that we are all united internationally in the fight against corruption, and it is understandable that foreign countries also pay attention to what is happening in Latvia, as well as provide assistance in the fight against corruption to the Latvian authorities and civil society. For 15 years, December 9 has been the International Anti-Corruption Day in the UN calendar, and this issue must definitely be given serious attention in Latvia as well.”
There is no doubt - corruption is very, very bad!