The RNP premises may have been used for the “Harmony” pre-election meeting / Article / LSM.lv

“S Harmona” may have used the premises of the municipal company “Riga House Manager” (RNP) for the party’s pre-election meeting, according to information available to Latvian Television. The Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) points out that parties are prohibited from using municipal premises free of charge. Those involved deny the meeting, meanwhile the company itself has begun an inspection of the service.

Jānis Vaitkevičs, a member of “Svarkas”, manages the “Riga House Manager” section “Austrumi” at 8 Zebiekstes Street. Latvian Television has received a message sent by Inga Breikša-Jefimcova, a candidate for the position of a member of the Riga City Council, to the members of “Harmony”. It shows that a party meeting was scheduled for the polling station on July 30 to discuss pre-election issues:

Good morning! Remind me! The group meeting in Purvciems / Pļavnieki will take place on Thursday, July 30 at 19.00 at Zebiekstes Street 8 (RNP). Please come to everyone! Pre-election time begins. Let’s discuss all the issues and just talk. I haven’t seen anyone in so long. Confirm +. Thanks for meeting. Have a nice day!

The Office for the Prevention and Combating of Corruption (KNAB) confirmed that

The Pre-Election Campaign Law prohibits parties from using the premises of municipal enterprises for meetings of members if the premises have not been paid for.

Arriving at the station shortly after 19:00, the door was closed. However, the doorbell answered the doorbell, who said that the “Harmony” meeting is taking place on the second floor of the building.

After a while, the head of the district, Jānis Vaitkevičs, came out, who denied the gathering of the members of “Sobežas”, but refused the interview and locked the door. Neither Inga Breikša-Jefimcova nor Vaitkevičs answered the phone calls, and no movement at the station was noticeable for the next hour and a half. At least no one leaves the building through the front door. True, the station has several exits on different sides of the building.

At about nine and a half, Vaitkevičs sent a text message that he would not provide any explanation for the events that had not taken place. Breikša-Jefimcova, the organizer of the possible meeting, also called back, who denied being in the station.

“Unfortunately, I was refused, and not all members of the” Harmony “could be there. (..) It is not possible to hold there, but the boss cannot allow such meetings. (..) I think there is a chance, but I was refused, ”said Breiksha-Jefimcova.

Meanwhile, the “Riga House Manager” emphasized that premises for parties are not rented. On July 30, a meeting of activists of a managed house may have taken place in the precinct, which is not prohibited. The company promises to find out the circumstances of the case by also using the building’s prevention cameras.

“Given this information, that it may not have been a meeting of domestic activists, as we are currently being informed, but that there may have been some kind of election-related meeting, a company inspection has now been launched, the task of which is to to find out who, why, in what way has held this meeting with what goals, with what end result, ”said Krists Laiškalns, a representative of SIA“ Rīgas namu pārvaldnieks ”.

The Office for the Prevention and Combating of Corruption also promised to clarify the circumstances. KNAB also revealed that it had already received information about the possible intentions of “S Harmonas” to use the premises of “Riga House Manager” for its own needs.

The KNAB has come to the attention of certain cases regarding possible violations of pre-election campaigning, to which the KNAB has paid in-depth attention. Therefore, considering that the cases of possible violations are currently being evaluated, the KNAB cannot provide more information.

KNAB draws attention to the fact that every day it receives information from the population about possible violations of pre-election campaigning, incl. in the mobile app “Report KNAB!”. KNAB also monitors developments in the public sphere and will continue to do so until the day of the extraordinary elections of the Riga City Council.

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