Riga, Nov 28 (LETA) - The Director of the Riga City Council's City Development Department Ilze Purmale is to be suspended from her post due to problems in the Skanste revitalization project, according to information available to the LETA news agency.

Purmale told LETA that such a possibility exists, but she has not yet been informed about the relevant orders.

She said she would appeal against such a decision. Purmale is convinced that both she and the department have worked with integrity and professionalism, which is why she has decided to fight, not only for her own sake, but also for the sake of the department's reputation.

Moreover, this is to avoid financial consequences for the municipality. If the municipality is found to be responsible for the situation, it will have to pay for the removal of the contaminated soil left in the dump. This could cost as much as EUR 5-8 million.

Purmale was appointed Director of the City Development Department in 2020, when the municipality was under an interim administration.

As reported, an inspection was carried out at the Riga City Council to assess the implementation of the Skanste revitalization project. The municipality was concerned that not all contaminated soil had been removed during the Skanste revitalization project.

Riga Mayor Viesturs Kleinbergs (Progressives) informed earlier that there is a possibility that some of the works related to the remediation of the site have not been carried out or have been carried out differently than foreseen in the remediation plan, therefore there is a risk that soil that is contaminated and had to be removed elsewhere is both in the adjacent area and could be in the children's playground.

LETA found out that the contaminated soil in the Skanste neighborhood is located on the land plots of Projekts B10, owned by former insolvency administrator Maris Spruds and his family members.

In May 2025, one of the largest urban projects in Skanste was opened - a multifunctional park, new streets and a landscaped area of 15 hectares, LETA was informed by the Riga City Council. The project took a long time to complete and became more expensive over time.

The first phase of the Skanste revitalization project was implemented with co-financing from European funds, a state budget grant and co-financing from the Riga City Council. The total cost of the project is EUR 21.7 million, of which EUR 4.6 million from the European Regional Development Fund, EUR 670,334 from the state budget and EUR 16.5 million from the Riga City Council.

After the opening, it was discovered that the sewerage system in Skanste Park was sinking, and the municipality had been warned about this possibility in advance, the Baltic Centre for Investigative Journalism Re:Baltica reported.

During the design of the sewerage system, not all the necessary calculations were made.

During the search for a contractor, one of the bidders warned the municipality about the possibility of sinking the facility into the muddy soils in the area if the sewerage system was built according to the originally proposed design. However, ignoring the warning, the Riga City Council refused to carry out additional expertise.