Dombrava Unilaterally Terminates Cooperation Memorandums with Two NGOs

Interior Minister Jānis Dombrava (National Alliance) has announced the unilateral termination of cooperation memorandums previously signed by his predecessors with two non-governmental organizations. In a statement on Twitter, he said that the associations "Gribu palīdzēt bēgļiem" (I Want to Help Refugees) and "Latvijas Sieviešu nevalstisko organizāciju sadarbības tīkls" (Latvian Women's NGO Cooperation Network) have received hundreds of thousands of euros from the state budget and European Union funds, which are now under review.

Dombrava stated that an analysis has begun of programs that provide funding from Interior Ministry funds for NGOs. He claimed that a number of projects worth hundreds of thousands of euros have been implemented. The Ministry of Finance conducted a random audit of one project and concluded that a 100% repayment would be necessary due to gross violations.

The minister highlighted suspicious activities in the projects that may require law enforcement involvement. For example, NGOs allegedly spent hundreds of thousands of euros on integration activities such as taking people to the circus. He also noted that one organization has a first-instance criminal conviction, which should disqualify it from receiving funding.

Particular attention has been drawn to the project "Societal Diversity and Intercultural Communication for Professionals Working with Third-Country Nationals." Its partners include the Latvian Women's NGO Cooperation Network and the Latvian Association of Local Governments. The project runs from July 2024 to April 2027 with a budget of €246,755. It aims to train 250 individuals – border guards, NGO representatives, medical staff, educators, and others – in 35 hours of intercultural communication training.

Dombrava indicated that law enforcement may need to assess specific project implementations, as one board member of "Gribu palīdzēt bēgļiem" was allegedly involved in Belarusian hybrid warfare activities, supporting individuals illegally crossing the state border.