Nils Usakovs reacts during a press briefing after his dismissal from the post of Riga mayor in Riga, capital of Latvia, April 5, 2019. Latvian Environmental Protection and Regional Development Minister Juris Puce sacked Riga mayor Nils Usakovs on Friday, blaming him for a failure to prevent serious illegalities in the Latvian capital's municipal transport company. The mayor lost his job for not performing his office duties as prescribed by law and for several violations, according to the minister's decree published in the official newspaper Latvijas Vestnesis. (Xinhua/Edijs Palens)
RIGA, April 5 (Xinhua) -- Latvian Environmental Protection and Regional Development Minister Juris Puce sacked Riga mayor Nils Usakovs on Friday, blaming him for a failure to prevent serious illegalities in the Latvian capital's municipal transport company.
The mayor lost his job for not performing his office duties as prescribed by law and for several violations, according to the minister's decree published in the official newspaper Latvijas Vestnesis.
In his decree, Puce accused Usakovs of numerous violations he allegedly committed as Riga mayor and holder of public transportation company Rigas Satiksme's shares on behalf of the city council.
Speaking on public radio on Friday, the minister said Usakovs was dismissed because he did not prevent Rigas Satiksme managers from taking harmful decisions that led to grave financial and legal consequences for the company and the city.
For instance, the Riga city council repeatedly increased Rigas Satiksme's capital and heavily subsidized the company. However, the money wasn't spent on current needs, which led to a loss of more than 28 million euros (about 31.47 million U.S. dollars), Puce said.
Furthermore, the city council approved the company's reportedly corruptive procurement deals without proper examination, which also resulted in huge financial losses.
Usakovs can appeal his sacking in court within 30 days. Usakovs said on Friday that he will lodge the appeal and prove the unlawfulness of his dismissal in court.
"The court will show that the minister has violated the law by signing this decree," he said on public television, claiming political motives behind his removal.
Olegs Burovs, Usakovs' deputy, will take over as acting Riga mayor.
