Dzintars Zakis

While going through the car purchase case of Saeima Unity faction leader Dzintars Zakis, Saeima Mandate, Ethics and the Application Review Committee Members admits that a violation of the code of ethics took place and the deputy will be sentenced to the most severe punishment – public shaming.

The commission will issue the deputy a written warning. The commission will also publicly announce this fact during a Saeima meeting and publish it in the Latvijas Vēstnesis newspaper.

AS it is known, Zakis purchased a brand new Volvo XC60 in the beginning of the year, without paying the required VAT amount of 8 800 EUR (6 160 LVL).

Zakis’ violation was also noted by his faction comrades, but they did not think it to be necessary to punish him, because the deputy fulfilled the presented requirements – apologized, expressed his guilt on this matter and promised to pay the required VAT amount by buying back the car from his own company.

After the meeting of the Unity faction, deputy Chairwoman of the faсtion Lolita Cigane told the journalists that the faction took into account Zakis’ fulfillment of the requirements and therefore the need of his resignation from the post of the leader of the faction was not reviewed. She added that it would have been worth talking about, if Zakis had not fulfilled the requirements.

Zakis himself told the journalists that he is deeply ashamed by what he did. He believes that there is an «ethical problem», and admitted his mistake. Zakis also said that he should not have used the scenario «available to any businessman» when he bought his car.

It is worth noting that, according to the researcher of the Providus Public Policy Center Valtis Kalnins, if Latvia followed Western European standard, Zakis should have left the post of the Chairman of Unity, because his decision to simply buy back the car from his company is nothing more than a mere “patch”.

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