OREANDA-NEWS. November 28, 2012. The Cabinet of Ministers decided to allow the Public Procurement Law to be bypassed if the Ministry of the Interior decided to purchase speed cameras from a German company, Vitronic Dr.-Ing.Stein Bildverarbeitungssysteme GmbH, reported the press-centre of SORAINEN.  

Association Sabiedriba par atklatibu – Delna (Delna), the Latvian branch of the global coalition against corruption, Transparency International, began to prepare documents for the Constitutional Court and the European Commission containing a request to assess the legality of this decision. To protect public interests, SORAINEN Latvia is providing Delna with advice free of charge.

A press conference was organised in SORAINEN Latvia office; a large number of representatives from the most popular members of the mass media were gathered in order that the application to the Constitutional Court and the submission to the European Commission could be presented, and so that they could be informed about the predicted progress of the case.

At the event, Delna was represented by its director Kristaps Petermanis, who informed the conference about the systematic practice of the Cabinet of Ministers of avoiding application of the Public Procurement Law without grounds to do so, and thus circumventing transparency and fair competition in procurement. SORAINEN partner Agris Repss commented on exceptions provided for in the law that allow bypassing of the Public Procurement Law, as well as on the risks incurred by inappropriately withdrawing from the requirements of this law and the related case law of the European Commission and the European Union.     
  
Application to the Constitutional Court has been sent to all Parliamentary groups as its submission requires signatures from 20 members of parliament. The submission to the European Commission has already been sent by Delna.