14th Saeima deputy Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis has submitted to members of the parliament his second informative newsletter on the “Brutal domination by the autocratic management of Ventspils”. Kristovskis informed his colleagues about the mobbing used by the management of Ventspils City Council, administration and majority deputies of For Latvia and Ventspils to discriminate city council deputy Aivis Landmanis by refusing to include him in any of the city council’s 19 committees while granting deputies of the political majority the right to work in three committees at the same time, as BNN was told by Kristovskis.
He says that this is a gross violation of the principles of fair democratic elections and good governance, because all deputies are equal in the eyes of the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia. In addition, the right of every municipal deputy to participate fully in the work of institutions formed by the city council is enshrined in the ruling of the Constitutional Court of the 29th of June 2018 in Case No. 2017-32-05. The ruling also states that the principle of proportionality must be complied with when organising the city council’s work in committees and commissions.
Because of this violation of the rights of minority deputies, Ventspils City Council deputy Aivis Landmanis decided to submit a request to the 14th Saeima Public Administration and Local Government Committee at the end of 2023. He said that in order to be eligible to a seat in the city council’s Economy and Budget Committee he must participate in a contest with the city’s residents organised by majority deputies of For Latvia and Ventspils, who are also the ones to select the most appropriate candidate for work in this committee. “I want to especially stress that no other Ventspils City Council deputy has experienced such an illegal and discriminatory selection to work in committees. I would like to stress that in the case with Mr. Landmanis the city’s management and administration violate the deputy’s right to free representation and equal work in the institution,” Kristovskis’ statement mentions.
The Saeima deputy informs his colleagues that A. Landmanis has not only requested involvement from the parliament to put an end to the illegal activities against him, but has also submitted proposals for improvements for specific Latvian laws to prevent the possible repetition of such violations in the future. Following the request from Kristovskis, the 14th Saeima’s Public Administration and Local Government Committee has asked the Saeima Legal Affairs Office to provide its opinion on this subject.
At the same time, in his second newsletter, Kristovskis informs 14th Saeima deputies that the problems outlined in his newsletter “On the EUR 1.4 million defrauded by A. Lembergs from Ventspils Free Port Authority during his trial” released on the 1st of November 2023 has been noticed by the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Latvia, which has cancelled all decisions made by sworn “corruption guards” on the termination of criminal procedure Nr. 16870000222. Investigation of this case has been reopened.
“The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau’s (KNAB) attempt to sweep the finances defrauded by Aivars Lembergs from Ventspils Freeport has been brought to light and halted,” says G.V. Kristovskis.
On the 23rd of December 2023 Kristovskis sent to the Saeima Praesidium and four Saeima committees his newsletter “On the position of the Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau’s non-application of the conflict of interests legislation on Chairman of Ventspils City Council Aivars Lembergs.”
Informative newsletter: G.V.Kristovska-II-apkartraksts-Deputatiem.pdf (in Latvian language).
Also read: BNN INTERVIEW | Ventspils sea port will no longer be Lembergs’ “dairy cow”, Kristovskis says
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Kristovskis: there is brutal domination in Ventspils
