RIGA, Feb 7 (LETA) - The State Security Service (VDD) sees trips to aggressor states and the spreading of propaganda messages as risk factors when vetting municipal officials for security clearance, VDD says in its report for 2025.

In several dozen cases, VDD had to extend the vetting deadline, as the service needed to examine a large amount of information to exclude potential risks, and the scrutiny of risk factors also required extra time.

The risk factors identified by VDD most frequently include trips to Russia or Belarus, relatives or other contacts in Russia or Belarus, past involvement in cross-border cooperation projects with Russia or Belarus, spreading messages supporting the Kremlin's propaganda, as well criminal proceedings started against the official in question.

However, the report does not say whether any of these risk factors were the reason for a refusal to issue security clearance. At the same time, the VDD report confirms that last year, the chairman of one municipality was refused security clearance because the person had previously been convicted of a deliberately committed criminal offense. LETA reported that this person is former Jurmala mayor Gatis Truksnis (Latvian Green Party), who resigned from his post after he failed to obtain security clearance. Information from LETA Archives shows that several years ago, Truksnis was fined in the so-called "business trip criminal case".

LETA reported this week that the only municipal mayors who have been denied security clearance are Rezekne Mayor Aleksandrs Bartasevics (Together for Latvia/Latvia First) and Truksnis.

VDD has also refused to grant security clearance to a deputy mayor of a municipality.

Meanwhile, VDD still in the process of vetting five other deputy mayors.

This year and last year, the State Security Service has issued special security clearances to 40 municipal mayors and 71 deputy mayors.