Court rejects former Riga City Council department director Purmale's claim

Riga City Court has rejected the claim of Ilze Purmale, the former director of the Riga City Council's City Development Department, against the Riga City Council. Purmale filed a lawsuit after the council decided to dismiss her last December at an emergency meeting, based on a Labor Law provision allowing termination if an employee acted unlawfully and lost the employer's trust.

Purmale sought to have the termination declared invalid, reinstatement, compensation for forced absence of €43,526, and legal costs of €9,075. The court dismissed the claim, finding the dismissal justified.

The conflict arose from the Skanste revitalization project. According to the court, when Purmale terminated the contract with one contractor and signed a new one, she failed to ensure that the original contractor fulfilled its obligations. As a result, a contaminated soil dump created during the works was not removed and remains on land owned by former insolvency administrator Māris Sprūds and his family.

The court found that under Purmale's leadership, no timely solution was provided for the soil issue after the contract was terminated. The new agreement with the next contractor did not clearly protect the municipality's claims, alternatives were not evaluated, and senior officials were not timely informed of risks. Decisions to prevent legal and financial risks were delayed for years.

However, the court did not find that Purmale acted maliciously, for personal gain, or with intent to harm the municipality. The court also determined that her actions were not a one-time error but reflected prolonged administrative negligence, leaving a critical issue unresolved for years. Thus, the dismissal was deemed proportionate and lawful.

The verdict can be appealed to the Riga Regional Court.