In the actions of the former mayor of the Jelgava region, Lasmanis, the law enforcement officer observed violent, sexual communication and bossing

The ombudsman examined the investigation case, which was based on the application of an employee of the municipality of Jelgava region regarding long-term and systematic bossing, unethical communication and behavior towards her and other council employees on the part of Lasmanis.

When examining the inspection case, the ombudsman also took into account the additionally received collective application of Jelgava region municipality employees, which was signed by 38 employees and which contained additional information confirming and at the same time reinforcing the applicant’s claims.

The ombudsman found unethical, insulting, humiliating and violent communication, including unwanted verbal communication of a sexual nature, and bossing on the part of the chairman of the council.

The ombudsman admitted that the communication style, language and behavior in the situations described by the applicant and confirmed by audio recordings are incompatible with the communication culture and communication requirements corresponding to the position of the chairman of the municipal council.

Such communication violates not only the internal moral and ethical norms of the municipality, but also the norms accepted by society and offends human dignity and honor protected by the Constitution.

The ombudsman found facts and circumstances that generally indicate that the chairman of the council had no desire to establish business-like, constructive and cooperation-oriented professional cooperation with the applicant and confirms his desire to get rid of her as an unwanted employee.

Taking into account the findings in the inspection case, the Ombudsman called on the members of the Jelgava Region Municipal Council to assess Lasmanis’ behavior as the chairman of the council and his actions in the Ethics Commission in accordance with the municipality’s ethical norms.

Lasmanis had already decided to resign on April 3, justifying the decision with the statement that the deputies of Jelgava region had already “agreed on the formation of a new coalition and the election of a new mayor”.

Lasmanis announced his resignation about an hour before the meeting of the Jelgava County Council, which was supposed to consider the request of seven deputies to remove him from his position.

Some local government politicians and officials demanded to evaluate the actions of Lasmanis, while directing the session in the Budget Commission, he addressed the feet of a woman.

The executive director of the municipality, Līga Lonerte (LZS), invited the members of the municipality to evaluate, in her opinion, the violation of ethics in the actions of the council chairman, by sending them a video from the commission’s meeting on March 13. The executive director told the deputies that, in her opinion, significant violations can be seen in Lasmanis’ actions. She turned to the deputies after the alarm raised by the administration employees.

Lasmanis had also proposed to dismiss Lonerti after she and council members came up with a call to evaluate his approach to a woman’s feet at a council commission meeting.

The request to evaluate Lasmanis’ actions was signed by four deputies of the Latvian Farmers’ Union – the deputy chairperson of the city council Ilze Vītola, Lolita Duge, Juris Lavenieks and Juris Razživins, and three deputies elected from the list of the Association of Regions of Latvia – Dainis Liepiņš, Vidmants Rinkuns and Dina Tauriņa.