Daugavpils City Council is facing scrutiny following an audit revealing concerns over potentially improper permits issued for outdoor advertising to companies linked to the wife of a top planning official.
The audit, and a separate investigation by the Corruption Prevention and Anti-Corruption Bureau (KNAB), are reportedly unrelated, according to city officials, though they are occurring simultaneously. The timing, they say, is coincidental.
City officials also announced plans to dissolve the City Planning and Construction Department and strengthen the independence of its existing “Building Control” unit, following a corruption risk analysis. The review is examining potential misuse of information for personal gain, intentional concealment of information, and the involvement of state officials in decision-making when facing conflicts of interest.
The head of the department is accused of providing her husband, Sergey Korablov, with information about available spaces for outdoor advertising. His companies, SIA “Tieto” and SIA “Latve,” allegedly received dozens of permits for advertising placement in the city over the past three to four years without auctions or public consultations.
City officials also allege that Santa Pupina concealed information by failing to report the applications and register them according to procedure. She is also accused of lacking a strategy for the placement of outdoor advertising in the city.
If the audit reveals violations, the city plans to inform law enforcement agencies.
A video recording from a City Planning and Environmental Commission meeting in January, obtained by LETA, shows a discussion between Pupina and city mayor and commission chairman Andrejs Elksniņš (“For Latvia!”) regarding applications from “Latve,” which the commission reportedly hadn’t received information about and weren’t properly registered.
During the meeting, Pupina explained that applications for advertising placement were not within the commission’s purview. Regarding the lack of registration, she commented that the department lacked the functionality to add documents to the document management system “Lietvaris.”
During the discussion, the department head also asked if she was facing legal action.
LETA has been unable to reach Pupina for comment.
According to data from “Firmas.lv,” “Latve” had a turnover of 19,549 euros and a profit of 9,040 euros in 2024. Korablov is the sole owner of the company.
Meanwhile, Pupina’s husband owns 55% of “Tieto,” with Andrey Isakovs as the other co-owner. The company’s turnover in 2024 reached 11,725 euros, with a profit of 1,814 euros.
KNAB previously announced it was investigating a possible abuse of office by an official in the Daugavpils City Council’s City Planning and Construction Department. KNAB confirmed to LETA that it has a criminal case involving a state official employed in the Daugavpils City Council’s City Planning and Construction Department.
The criminal process began on November 6, 2025, concerning a possible abuse of office for mercenary purposes.
KNAB is conducting a pre-trial investigation into whether a state official, knowingly that two construction projects could not be put into operation, abusively used their official authority to achieve the opposite.
Currently, four individuals involved in the criminal case have the right to legal representation.
KNAB indicates that criminal procedural actions were carried out in Daugavpils last week in connection with this criminal case.
Latvian Television (LTV) reported Monday that four individuals are involved in the criminal case. One of them has been suspended from their position in the City Planning and Construction Department for the duration of the investigation, but has simultaneously been appointed to a position in another municipal unit. The municipality’s website states that former Head of Building Control Nadezhda Giptere continues her work in another department. She denies the allegations and states she will seek legal assistance, but declined to provide further comment at this time.
A search of Giptere’s office, during which data carriers were also seized, took place on February 17, according to LTV. On the same day, an internal audit also began in the City Planning and Construction Department.
In addition to the KNAB investigation, other checks are taking place in the department. We see being evaluated whether there is a conflict of interest between the department head Santa Pupina and her husband’s advertising company “Latve,” and the department must also submit a report on advertising permits issued over the past five years by the end of February. An internal audit also began in the department on the day of the search.
Daugavpils City Council plans to dissolve the City Planning and Construction Department. The council explains that the municipality is continuing structural reforms to centralize administrative processes and ensure maximum cost-effectiveness. This represents particularly essential in the context of population decline.
