12.03.2008. -

The Ministry of Justice (hereinafter – the Ministry) has not ensured control over Court Information System (hereinafter – CIS) project implementation in the period from 1998 to 2007 and implementation of specific requirements of the contracts entered into, thus the Ministry has violated the requirements or regulatory enactments and its action was not economic and efficient.

The audit disclosed that contracts entered into by State Joint Stock Company ”Courthouse Agency” on May 16, 2000 and on February 18, 2005, have entitled the commercial company to use data, available in the data base that was developed using the State budget funds, for commercial aim without approval of the Ministry.

Judgments of court regarding administrative matters, civil matters and criminal matters, which contained personal data of persons related to legal proceedings, were publicly available during the audited period in the court information data base, developed by the State Joint Stock Company “Courthouse Agency” and the commercial company, thus the requirements of the Law “On Judicial Power” and Personal Data Protection Law were not observed.

The Ministry has settled accounts with the supplier for computer equipment delivery and installation in the amount of LVL 368 041 in December 2006, however the purchased computer equipment in the total value of LVL 217 278 has not been delivered to the courts of Latvia and installed until October 1, 2007.

The State Audit Office (hereinafter – SAO) recognized that the Ministry, acting in such way, has not observed the requirements of the Law “On Budget and Financial Management”, and that the Ministry’s action with the State budget funds in the amount of LVL 217 278 was not economic and efficient, because for the period of nine months the computer equipment was stored at a warehouse of one of suppliers.

In the period from 2002 to 2004 the Ministry has made orders and payments for development of CIS data exchange modules with other State institutions, however, these modules are not applicable in practice, because inter-institutional agreement on data exchange had not been yet reached until the end of 2007. Thus State budget resources in the amount of at least LVL 151 400 were not utilised efficiently.

Although CIS provides processing of State importance information and complies with State Information System status, not observing the requirements of the Cabinet Regulation “State Information System Registration Regulations”, it is not registered in the State Information System Register.

The Ministry has not observed the requirements of the Cabinet Regulation “General Security Requirements of State Information Systems”, having not developed CIS security policy, security regulations and security risk management plans. Therefore CIS security was endangered.

The audit was conducted on the time period from 1998 to 2007.

SAO has developed 15 recommendations for the Ministry after conducting the legality audit, which the Ministry has undertaken to implement until February 15, 2009.

SAO has informed the General Prosecutors Office about the findings of legality audit.

Complete audit report is available at SAO Internet home page www.lrvk.gov.lv