The municipality points out that it has received a letter from the Alūksne section of the Vidzeme Regional Office of the State Police stating that the proceedings concerning a possible administrative violation have been terminated by holding a seminar of Gulbene region cultural workers at the Gulbene Culture Center.
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The decision was made on 1 July on the basis of Section 239 (1) of the Latvian Code of Administrative Violations, which stipulates that proceedings in an administrative violation case may not be initiated, but the initiated proceedings must be terminated if there has been no event or no administrative violation.
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According to TV3’s “Nekā personīga” program, during the ban on gatherings due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Gulbene Municipality secretly organized a three-day face-to-face seminar with the permission of the City Council Chairman and Executive Director, on which the State Police initiated administrative violation proceedings.
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The training was organized at the Gulbene Culture Center to tell the municipal employees about the organization of cultural life during and after the emergency.
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When Gundega Ķikuste, the head of the Culture Department of Gulbene region, sent an invitation to the training by e-mail, she called on her colleagues, taking into account the existing restrictions, “not to endanger oneself and not to create risks to attract unnecessary attention from unrelated persons”. “No postings on Facebook or dissemination of information to others – this applies only to us, so this information must not go beyond us. This instruction is strict and significant,” the invitation said.
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When the seminar started, the building was visited by an official of the State Police, to whom the employees of the Culture House initially stated that no event was taking place. However, looking at the premises herself, the police officer found that the event was taking place and about 20 people had gathered in person in the Great Hall of the cultural center. In connection with the findings, administrative violation proceedings were initiated.
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The head of the cultural department expressed the opinion that this seminar could not be considered as an event, the organization of which was subject to a ban, but as on-the-job training. Normunds Audzišs (ZZS), the chairman of Gulbene County Council, expressed the position that the seminar is considered a work duty, but the performance of work duties is not subject to the restrictions related to Covid-19.
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As reported, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, an emergency situation was declared in Latvia from March 13 to June 10, during which a number of bans were imposed in various areas, including limited gatherings.
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