Of the three candidates – Juta Strike, Alvis Vilks and Aleksejs Loskutovs – current bureau chief Strike reportedly had the most support among commission members, though not unanimous, Prime Minister Indulis Emsis said. Strike was supported by Prosecutor General Janis Maizitis, Supreme Court chairman Andris Gulans and parliament anti-corruption committee head Ainars Latkovskis.
Loskutovs was supported by Emsis and State Auditor Raits Cernajs, and Vilks was supported by state chancellery representative Una Klapkalne.
Emsis said he believed nominating three potential candidates for the bureau chief was optimal since the government will be able to pick the best candidate among them. The government, he said, will likely decide during its nearest meeting on the one candidate it would push to Parliament for final approval.
Latkovskis explained that the commission had to decide whether fighting or preventing corruption was more important during its negotiations, and he voiced regret that Strike was only supported by three commission members.
"It would have been clear who was the winner" if she had been supported by four commission members, he said. "The commission made a compromise decision." The tender for the anticorruption chief was announced by Prime Minister Indulis Emsis Cabinet, and 20 candidates submitted their applications.
The issue of the bureau chief has been high on the agenda since the approval of the Emsis Cabinet in March. At the time Emsis claimed that the order by former Prime Minister Einars Repse to appoint Strike as acting bureau head was illegal.