Jelgava Regional Municipality Executive Director Lonetti suspended during evaluation

On Wednesday, the councillors held a second continuation of the July 31 meeting to decide on Lonerte’s suspension and to set up a committee to evaluate her performance. Among other things, the meeting proposed the possibility of evaluating the recent involvement of the Public Relations Department in the creation of various Lonerte publications on social networks.

Similarly, Councillor Uldis Ainārs (JV), commenting on the high costs of legal outsourcing, referred to a municipal document which mentioned the lack of capacity of the council’s legal department since its inception. However, Ainārs pointed out that Lonat has not yet provided such information to the deputies and asked them to assess the situation in this regard as well.

It was also decided that the council could engage the city’s internal audit for specific work in its work, but could also use external services.

Eleven lawmakers supported the removal of the executive director, three lawmakers opposed, and three lawmakers abstained.

Emīls Dobrājs (LA) has been confirmed as the chairperson of the committee, while his deputy will be Dina Tauriņa (LRA). Madara Lasmani (LA), Gundar Liepa (NA) and Irina Dolgov (S) were also elected as members of the committee. All representatives of the Latvian Farmers’ Union, represented by Lonette and nominated by their colleagues, agreed to serve on the committee, including the committee’s vice-chairman Ilze Vītola.

In the city, the LETA agency was informed that the executive director was currently absent. The committee’s decision stipulates that the suspension will begin upon her return from absence.

The council meeting was reportedly interrupted two weeks ago because it was unclear whether Lonette’s suspension and performance evaluation should be included as an additional agenda item. This issue and several other issues were put on the agenda when the council resumed a week ago.

The draft decision envisages a suspension of Lonette of no more than three months.

It was also announced that the Bureau for Prevention and Fight against Corruption (KNAB) fined Lonette, executive director of the Jelgava Regional Municipality, for using his work car for private purposes.

Back in the spring, the then chairman of the Jelgava County Council Madas Rasmanis (who later resigned) proposed firing the city’s executive director, Lonetti.

In the letter, Lasmanis wrote that on March 21, “in response to the suspicion of intentional, serious and systematic violations of the executive director of the city of Lonetes in his work and arbitrary handling of the city government’s public property and financial resources, I prepared and submitted to the Jelgava County Council a draft decision on the removal of the executive director from his post.”

Lasmanis stressed that he informed the city representatives of these developments on March 20 and invited them to decide on the future course of action.

According to Rasmanis, the executive director violated her authority. She allegedly changed the salaries of municipal employees and interfered in the duties of the representative of the municipal capital shares owners of SIA “Zemgales sevysans centrs”, although she transferred the duties of the representative of the municipal capital shares owners by order of the deputy executive director of the Jelgava region.

In February 2024, Lonat ignored the provisions of the labor law and took a leave without the approval of his immediate supervisor. In addition, the executive director did not comply with the provisions of the Law on Preventing Waste of Financial Resources and Property by Public Personnel and used the city government’s property for private purposes, for which the city government received a request from KNAB.