Continuing work on implementing the reform of the forensic expert institute and creating modern infrastructure, a ceremony to set the foundation-stone time capsule of the Unified Forensic Expert Centre’s laboratory complex building took place on 1 June in Riga, at Invalīdu iela 1.
The future forensic laboratory complex will make it possible to organize successful forensic examination work in premises suited to and meeting the requirements of the times.
SIA “Tiesu namu aģentūra” is responsible for implementing the construction project; in February 2020 it announced a procurement for design, author’s supervision, demolition, construction and site landscaping. As a result of the procurement, “SARMA & NORDE Arhitekti” was engaged as designer and author’s supervisor, and SIA “Woltec” as contractor. The project is being implemented in three stages, with a total cost of EUR 19,503,484.98 (excluding VAT). The project’s third stage – construction of the laboratory building – began at the end of 2022 and is planned to be completed in the first quarter of 2024. Construction of the entire complex, which also includes rebuilding of the existing building and landscaping of the site, is planned to be completed by the end of 2025.
Before the time capsule was set in place, Minister of Justice Inese Lībiņa-Egnere emphasized: “Establishing the truth in court proceedings matters to every person in Latvia and to society as a whole. That is precisely why we need independent courts and independent forensic experts, as well as professional, properly equipped forensic institutions. There is no denying that quality expert work also requires modern technical resources – premises, equipment, an organizational environment. The Unified Forensic Expert Centre’s laboratory building is also a cornerstone of the reform of the state forensic expert institute. Such a reform is needed not only to simplify and streamline the institutional framework for experts’ work, but also to provide an environment conducive to the objectivity of expert opinions and to speed up the handling of cases in court.”
Igors Rajevs, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of the Interior, noted: “Today we are witnessing a very significant event, which proves that when we work toward a common goal, we can achieve a great deal. Forensic experts, who currently work at the State Police and the State Forensic Science Bureau, have long deserved modern, technologically equipped, well-appointed working premises, so I wish the construction process every success and look forward to all of us gathering very soon for the opening of this building.”
The capsule, set into the foundations of the new laboratory building under construction, contains a message to future generations. Alongside the message, as witnesses to and evidence of today’s events for future generations, the capsule also contains a notice from the official publication “Latvijas Vēstnesis” on the election of the President of Latvia, a EUR 2 commemorative coin “Sunflower for Ukraine” issued a few days earlier by the Bank of Latvia, and the 1 June issue of the magazine “IR”. In addition, taking pride in the bronze medal won by the Latvian national hockey team at this year’s championship, a badge from the 2023 Ice Hockey World Championship was also placed in the capsule.
Santa Sausiņa, Board Member of Tiesu namu aģentūra, praised the work of the designer and author’s supervisor “SARMA & NORDE Arhitekti” and the contractor SIA “Woltec”, noting that, despite all the challenges of recent years, the contractor continues to work on this project without increasing its cost.