Krišjānis Kariņš, the Latvian foreign minister, has said he will step down after a scandal over his use of state funds to pay for private flights during his time as prime minister. Last week, Latvia’s prosecutor general opened an investigation into the misuse of state funds after it was revealed that Kariņš had allegedly spent up to €1.3m (£1.1m) on private jet rentals for official trips. “I am handing over to the prime minister [Evika] Siliņa my resignation notice,” Kariņš told reporters, adding that he would remain in office until 10 April. The Baltic state’s public procurement law states that public officials must use the cheapest services available for official trips. US-born Kariņš rented private jets more than a dozen times to fly to countries that have regular direct flights from Riga – the Latvian capital – including Belgium, Germany and Poland. He served as Latvia’s prime minister from 2019 to 2023 when he stepped down after his government began to lose public support. “There are no official candidates for the foreign ministry vacancy yet,” Siliņa told the Leta newswire.