PM wants foreign to lead anticorruption campaign

Disappointed in the lack of success in finding a suitable candidate to fill the post of anticorruption chief, Prime Minister Einars Repse has said that it would make sense to have a foreigner fill the vacant position. Speaking in his weekly interview on Latvian Radio, Repse expressed concern that no one has applied to fill the vacancy of director of the Corruption Prevention Bureau, which has been vacant since April when Guntis Rutkis left the post for health reasons. Repse urged anyone with the proper credentials – including a law degree – to apply for the position. Moreover, Repse said that the country would benefit if foreigners were allowed to fill the key government position, which was created upon Repse’s ascent to power last year. Specifically, the prime minister added that David Wallis, his advisor on anticorruption issues, would be a “very serious candidate” if a foreigner were allowed to occupy the post. Wallis, who is a citizen of the United Kingdom, has been an outspoken critic of corruption in Latvia, going as far to lay blame on those citizens who do not report incidents of graft to the appropriate authorities.