Narva mayor dismisses social work centre director

Narva Mayor Jaan Toots has terminated the employment contract of Social Work Centre director Tatjana Stolfat following an inspection that found alleged serious violations, ERR reported. Stolfat denies the accusations.

The city said Narva’s Social Assistance Department had checked whether the municipal centre was operating lawfully, including whether its funds and other property were being used appropriately. Toots said the weeks-long inspection found systemic problems involving the use of official cars and the formalisation of employment relationships.

Toots also said the inspection found that the waiting list for places in the care home was kept in a notebook rather than an official register. He said this made the process insufficiently transparent and difficult to monitor, and raised concerns about equal treatment for people waiting for a place.

The mayor said the findings could indicate damage to the city, but that the relevant authorities must establish whether damage occurred, its extent and its legal significance. The city plans to submit a report to the competent authority because some findings may point to offences under the Penal Code. Toots said the decision to end Stolfat’s employment was not politically motivated.

Stolfat, who previously chaired Narva’s city council and currently belongs to the opposition Narva 2.0 faction, rejected all the allegations in comments to Delfi. Her contract was terminated on Thursday. Deputy director Yulia Khoreva is temporarily leading the centre until a new director is appointed following a public competition.