RIGA — The Children’s Clinic University Hospital in Riga is at the center of an evolving corruption scandal. Hospital fund raisers are livid and want the book thrown at the alleged culprits.

Misuse of power, taking and giving bribes, documented forgery and fraud are the charges being leveled against hospital officials. Five people were detained Tuesday, two of them employees at the hospital in charge of procurement procedures.

More than 700,000 lati (€1 million) in various currencies has been seized by the Corruption Prevention Bureau at the workplaces and apartments of the suspects. The criminal case on violations in the organization of construction and procurement for the state-owned Children’s Clinical University Hospital in 2007-2009 was opened in the end of October this year.

According to unofficial information, the Corruption Prevention Bureau is probing the Children Hospital’s contracts with two companies on construction of a new multi-functional wing for the hospital and renovation of the hospital’s reception area.

The hospital’s administration manager Aivars Lisenko and board member Arnis Kramzaks have been arrested. Lisenko is also member of the People’s Party, a part of the Latvia’s ruling coalition and has been donating considerable amounts of money to them.

The hospital’s head Dzintars Mozgis confirmed that two employees were absent on Wednesday.

“I cannot deny that detaining two hospital employees on suspicion grounds is very bad news both for the hospital and for me personally as the chief of this place. I would like to say that I feel very frustrated and cannot believe such a thing, that hospital employees whom I trusted, may have betrayed both me and the whole hospital team,” Mozgis told newspaper Diena.

He said that to his knowledge, all procurement procedures were conducted in line with Latvia’s legislation.

The Health Care Ministry has not given any comments on the investigation at this stage. Ministry’s press secretary Oskars Šneiders explained to the press that ministry would wait for a decision from the Corruption Prevention Bureau.

A few months ago a fund-raising campaign for the Children’s Hospital Lielie bērnu slimnīcai (Adults for Children’s hospital) was started by a few private enthusiasts.

The campaign has gained wide support. Now the organizers of this campaign are criticizing the managers of the hospital.

“If it will be proven that the [state] budget money allocated for the hospital has been used for private gain in any way, the hospital’s management should be punished as severely as possible according to the law, and they should be condemned by society. There are thousands of people who without any personal interest help the hospital in these times, when they themselves and the state lacks finances,” the group said in a public statement.

Gints Knoks, one of the organizers, wrote angrily on his Twitter account: “The Children’s Hospital management should be driven out with a stick covered with s**t, and there should be a total audit. Could we please stop stealing at least in a children’s hospital in this country?”