Corruption scandal at Jelgava Leather Factory 80 years ago
In 1945-1946, director Augusts Garkājs of the Jelgava Leather Factory systematically gave and took bribes, causing significant losses to the state. The crimes occurred under the eyes of the local Communist Party until the Central Committee intervened.
Shortly after World War II, in 1945 and 1946, a major corruption scandal unfolded at the Jelgava Leather Factory. The factory's director, Augusts Garkājs, had established a system of regular bribery and double bookkeeping to conceal his activities. The losses inflicted on the state were considerable, but most alarming was that all of this took place under the watch of the Jelgava city committee of the Latvian Communist Party. For a long time, no one intervened until the Central Committee launched an investigation. The affair was reported in the newspapers "Cīņa" and "Zemgales Komunists" at the time, illustrating that even strict Soviet criminal laws could not deter people from dishonest enrichment. Garkājs's crimes were widely known, but punishment came only after higher authorities stepped in.
