Znotiņa's bad reputation might cause her to lose her job

Today, the deadline for submitting proposals for amendments to the law on dirty money expires, and at least part of the exaggerations, which were placed in the draft law by the Ministry of Finance under the request of the state's main financial intelligence Ilze Znotiņa, will be taken out again. Companies' shares will not be taken away from their owners due to reputation issues. However, Znotiņa herself will most likely lose her position due to her unsatisfactory reputation.

Dissatisfaction with Ilze Znotiņa's reputation problems has grown for a long time, and it is not just a matter of violating the restrictions on combining positions of public officials. It should be recalled that even after her appointment as Head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), she continued to pursue a private business, which is prohibited by law. She was punished for it, thus saying goodbye to her impeccable reputation.

But Znotiņa's reputation has been damaged even more by poor work. That is the opinion of lawyers whose clients have been deprived of money without justification, of bankers who have been intimidated by the FIU through constant inspections and huge fines, and also of politicians whom Znotiņa simply ignores.

She simply does not come to the Saeima when she is called to account and does not send the documents necessary for the work of the committees.

Multi-layered dissatisfaction

Due to Znotiņa's unsatisfactory reputation and unacceptable work style, talks have started in the coalition about her not being suited for the position.

According to the agency LETA, several political forces forming the coalition are dissatisfied with Znotiņa's work in combating the proceeds of crime and implementing the recommendations of international lenders. Several politicians have stressed that she has driven into a ditch, restricting the work of entrepreneurs too much. Consequently, it is not out of the question that the coalition might assess Znotiņa's suitability for the position she holds.

It was confirmed for Neatkarīgā by the Chairman of the Saeima Financial Sector Supervision Subcommittee Gatis Eglītis - there is dissatisfaction with both the quality and style of Znotiņa's work. Moreover, not only in the political environment. The Financial Intelligence Unit is one of the main players in the supervision of the financial sector, and banks are currently intimidated by the exaggerated supervision. It is not yet clear how getting rid of Znotiņa will be implemented in practice.

You must pay for the resignation

The Financial Intelligence Unit is an independent managing authority, the institutional supervision of which is exercised by the Cabinet of Ministers through the Minister of the Interior. Thus, the initiative to assess the unsuitability Znotiņa's reputation for the position could come from Sandis Ģirģens or Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš. He has also used the idiom of "driving into a ditch" to describe financial supervision following the so-called overhaul of the industry. And so has President Egils Levits. And the Governor of the Bank of Latvia, Mārtiņš Kazāks.

However, under the rules of the Labor Law, these are only reflections that are not sufficient for dismissal. It is possible that the method used by the coalition will be the same as that used to get rid of the previous leadership of the Financial and Capital Market Commission. With a special law, it was paid huge resignation money. And then the main obstacle for the overhaul - Pēters Putniņš with his team - withdrew.

The committee will complain to Kariņš

Whether the coalition will also offer Znotiņa money in exchange for resignation "by agreement of the parties", and how much can only be guessed now. The next conversation with her is planned for February 16 in the Saeima Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee, with the participation of the Ministers of the Interior and Justice. The proposed topic is curbing the spread of proceeds of crime in the NGO sector. However, the real talk will probably be about Znotiņa, who several times has not come to the sittings without justified reasons and has not submitted the documents necessary for the work of the Saeima. In order to inform about this situation, the leadership of the committee is preparing a letter to the Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš.

In order to find out what the government's plans are for Ilze Znotiņa's future work, Neatkarīgā turned to the office of Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš. Here is the answer received:

“At the next meeting of the Financial Sector Development Board, FIU will inform about the achievements of last year and this year, where the members of the council will have the opportunity to evaluate the work done by the unit. FIU must also present this report to the Members of the Saeima.”