Ādaži council suspends executive director pending investigation

Ādaži Municipal Council has launched an official investigation into executive director Guntis Porietis and suspended him from his duties while it is conducted, LSM reported.

The investigation concerns the transparency of municipal spending, oversight of municipal companies and the implementation of certain council decisions.

Mayor Gatis Miglāns of the Union of Greens and Farmers repeatedly stressed during Thursday’s extraordinary council meeting that Porietis had not been dismissed, but suspended temporarily. The suspension is not a disciplinary punishment and does not mean that Porietis has been found at fault.

Miglāns told the LETA news agency that council members had submitted a request listing a number of possible violations. The main focus was on the management of municipal companies, which is currently being audited. The council has received an initial report on Ādažu namsaimnieks, a municipal company.

Council members suspect that money may have been wasted, Miglāns said.

An independent commission will conduct the investigation. It has been instructed to assess the circumstances and facts listed in the council members’ request comprehensively and objectively, examine the necessary documents and obtain explanations from the people involved, including Porietis.

Porietis has served as executive director for more than 10 years. Ādaži Municipal Council recently experienced a change in its leadership, with the long-ruling Latvian Association of Regions moving away from the governing coalition.

Deputy executive director Inga Reģe will perform the executive director’s duties during the investigation.