Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau

KNAB, the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau, is Latvia’s specialised authority tasked with preventing, detecting and investigating corruption offences. It oversees the submission and verification of asset and interest declarations by public officials, monitors the financing of political parties and election campaigns, and provides methodological guidance to state and municipal institutions on anti‑corruption measures. The bureau also maintains electronic platforms that allow citizens and officials to submit declarations, access party‑financing data and interact with its services through a mobile application. These digital tools constitute a core part of its service offering to the Latvian public sector and civil society.

Headquartered in Riga, KNAB operates throughout Latvia and its mandate covers all levels of government, from national ministries to local municipalities. As an independent institution, it reports directly to the Saeima, the Latvian parliament, which ensures its operational autonomy while maintaining parliamentary oversight. The bureau’s reach extends to any entity subject to anti‑corruption legislation, including political parties, NGOs and private companies that interact with public funds. Its activities are therefore nationwide in scope, serving both institutional stakeholders and the general public seeking transparency.

KNAB’s distinguishing attributes lie in its dual role as both a preventive watchdog and an investigative authority, combining regulatory oversight with criminal‑procedure powers when corruption suspicions arise. The bureau has developed notable competencies in managing large‑scale digital information systems, as evidenced by its electronic declaration platform, party‑financing database and official mobile app. In July 2022, these services were targeted by a distributed denial‑of‑service attack that temporarily disrupted public access, yet Latvian cybersecurity authorities confirmed that no stored data was compromised and that the bureau’s core functions remained intact. This incident highlighted the bureau’s reliance on resilient IT infrastructure and prompted coordinated response efforts with the national IT security incident team. The attack underscored the importance of continuous cybersecurity vigilance for institutions handling sensitive public data.

Structurally, KNAB is a state‑funded institution established under Latvian law, with no parent company or subsidiary relationships; its accountability is to the legislative branch rather than to an executive ministry. The bureau’s independence is reinforced by its statutory mandate to act impartially and its funding is allocated directly through the state budget. This arrangement allows KNAB to perform its anti‑corruption functions without undue influence from any single governmental body, reinforcing its role as a cornerstone of Latvia’s integrity framework. Its work contributes to fostering public trust in governmental institutions and supports the country’s broader commitment to good governance and the rule of law.