VARAM State Secretary Balševics suspended, pay halted

Edgars Tavars, head of Latvia's Ministry for Smart Administration and Regional Development (VARAM), has decided to suspend the ministry's State Secretary, Edvīns Balševics, from his position. The ministry itself announced the move.

Along with the suspension, payment of Balševics' salary has also been halted. This means he will temporarily stop receiving pay for as long as the suspension lasts.

VARAM's statement did not provide further details on the reasons behind the decision or how long the suspension might continue. It also remains unclear who will carry out the state secretary's duties at the ministry in the meantime.

A state secretary is the top civil-service official within a ministry, responsible for its administrative work and serving as the link between political leadership and the ministry's departments. Such officials are typically suspended when facing an inspection or investigation, though the announcement did not clarify whether that applies in this case.

Minister Edgars Tavars represents the United List (AS) party and heads the Ministry for Smart Administration and Regional Development. No further information about next steps or a possible new appointment to the state secretary post has been made public so far.