Latvia, Legislation

She said that the bill has been based on a number of violations in the work of the local government, including in supervision of its companies. The Environment Protection and Regional Development Ministry has assessed the responsibility of the Riga City Council in the criminal case on Rigas Satiksme municipal transport company and also other violations, inaccuracies and inactivity in the work of the local government.

The goal of the bill is to prevent a situation when the Riga City Council allows illegal activities and does not ensure functions provided by the law. If Saeima adopts the bill, the Riga City Council would be dissolved and temporary administration would be appointed.

The head of the temporary administration would be Aivars Draudins, the deputy state secretary of the Environment Protection and Regional Development Ministry, while the administration members would be two representatives from the Regional Development Ministry as well as representatives from the Finance, Justice and Transport Ministries.

The new Riga City Council would be elected on May 25, 2019.

According to Gerhards, huge work has been done to evaluate the work of the Riga City Council.

The Riga City Council so far has not assessed responsibility of officials for the violations discovered by by the State Audit Office on May 16, 2014, on the fares set by Rigas Satiksme.

As reported, during a party congress last weekend, delegates from the National Alliance tasked Regional Development and Environmental Protection Minister Kaspars Gerhards to put forward a bill to government to dissolve the Riga City Council.

The Corruption Prevention Bureau has launched a criminal procedure in relation to three procurements conducted by Rigas Satiksme. Seven persons have been detained, including Rigas Satiksme former head Leons Bemhens.