[ad_1]
Vilnius Mayor R.Šimašius announced at the weekend that he had exchanged rings with architect GTGylyte.
He added that “the firms will help sometime after the holidays.”
In 2013, GTGylytė together with three partners established the architecture office Do architects.
In 2016, the company established a subsidiary, Do architects consulting.
The mayor’s declaration of interests states that his new spouse is one of the shareholders of Do arquitectos and has started working as an architect and project manager at the subsidiary Do arquitectos consulting since January of this year.
7 competitions won
The Central Procurement Information System must specify that: Since 2019, Do architects has won seven public tenders, five of which were initiated by the Vilnius City Municipality, two by Lithuanian railway companies.
In February 2019, Do architects won a tender for the development of a baseline development strategy for a baseline development analysis and scheme through a low-value purchase survey.
The amount of the contracted work was 12,087 euros.
In September of the same year, the company won an architectural competition and signed a contract to design the Tolminkiemis Gymnasium in Pilaitė.
The initial cost of the design works amounted to 713 thousand. However, the amount increased slightly due to additional services not provided for in the original contract.
The final amount of the contract is 730 thousand. EUR – approved in March of last year.
„DO architects“ nuotr./Tolminkiemio gimnazija
He designed a temporary hospital
In the spring of last year, when Lithuania was battling a coronavirus pandemic, there was talk of the possible need to build temporary hospitals in the capital.
The Vilnius City Municipality contacted the Do architects again and in April the company prepared a project for the installation of temporary hospitals for 1,000 euros.
In the same month, the municipality and the company, jointly owned by the current mayor’s wife, signed another contract: architects for just over 12,000. He undertook to design recreational facilities for the humanization of Naugarduko Street.
Photo by Gilma Teodora Gylytė / Experimental Naugarduko Street
The last time the contract between Do arquitectos and the capital city was signed was in February of this year.
For 11,979 euros, the company undertook to provide services for the preparation of materiality and small architectural details of the streets of Vilnius.
Architect consultancy subsidiary Do architects consultancy has won two public tenders since 2017.
In May this year, a contract worth € 9,680 was signed with Lietuvos Geležinkeliai for the renovation project of the façade of the administrative building on Pelesos Street.
In July, a contract was signed for the development of a railway fleet installation concept, the value of which is 11,495 euros.
Valdas Kopūstas / 15min photo / Burial ceremony of the symbolic capsule of the Tolminkiemis gymnasium
Will walk away from decisions
The mayor of the capital included the new spouse in the declaration of private interests on the eve of the wedding, on July 30.
In it, R.Šimašius pointed out that according to the powers granted to the mayor by the Local Autonomy Law and the functions performed, he does not participate in decision-making on the issuance of construction permits, land-use planning processes, no no make decisions on land issues.
Therefore, according to him, a conflict of public and private interests does not and cannot arise.
However, in his comment on the statement, R. Šimašius also indicated that by avoiding the appearance of conflicts of interest and public and private bias, he withdraws from all processes related to the consulting firms Do arquitectos and Do arquitectos.
The mayor of the capital undertook to consult with the Corruption and Misdemeanor Prevention Division of the Vilnius City Municipal Administration and, if necessary, with the Central Commission for Official Ethics (COEC) in case of possible doubts. .
He asked for the opinion of the COEC
Advisor to the Mayor of Vilnius Karolis Vaitkevičius 15 minutes He also stated that the conflict of public and private interests does not and cannot arise by repeating what R. Šimašius entered in his statement to the COEC.
“However, the Law on Coordination of Public and Private Interests in the Public Service of the Republic of Lithuania obliges to avoid not only the conflict of interest itself, but even the appearance of conflict of interest and public and private prejudice. Therefore, to avoid such visibility, the connection was declared “, – says K. Vaitkevičius in the comment.
For several years in a row, the qualitative requirements for architects and developers in Vilnius have been growing, and decisions are largely separated from political will.
According to him, the mayor has also written to the COEC asking for clarification if it is necessary to take additional action without declaration to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
In this letter, the mayor also draws the commission’s attention to the fact that quality requirements for architects and developers have been growing in Vilnius for several years in a row, and decisions are basically separated from political will.
T. and. The same standards apply to everyone and the same rules are clearly understood, and decisions are made by professional employees and impartial commissions are formed, in which the municipality does not have a casting vote (architectural competitions), ”said K. Vaitkevičius.
Could you declare before
Sergejus Muravjovas, Director of the Lithuanian branch of Transparency International 15 minutes He said that the solution to avoid not only a conflict of interest but also its visibility is very simple:
“It is possible to declare as soon as possible a relationship that could give rise to a conflict of interest or its visibility. It is understandable, in this case, that many may find it ambiguous that the mayor declared their relationship and renewed the statement the day before the wedding.
Because you agree, we would all treat contracts signed with Do architects differently, knowing Remigijus Šimašius’s relationship, than we probably did.
It seems to me that one of the essential questions here is why R. Šimašius declared this relationship on July 30 “.
I would have understood perfectly if I had filled out this section a little earlier than the day before the wedding. I think it would be a good move.
According to Muravyov, the issue is complicated by the fact that it concerns a person’s private life, even if it is public.
“It is very difficult to guess and predict when you started communicating with someone whose presence in your life you were supposed to report. But it is advisable to seek the advice of the Chief Service Ethics Commission as soon as possible. Talk to your compliance officers and unequivocally point out any potential conflicts of interest or your visibility to other circumstances, which R. Šimašius has now done.
The question is whether I shouldn’t have done it earlier. I would have understood perfectly if I had filled out this section a little earlier than the day before the wedding. I think it would be a good and correct step, ”said the director of the Lithuanian branch of Transparency International.
Luke April / 15 Minute Photo / Sergei Muravyov
He said he understood that the mayor did not want to reveal personal relationships, but recalled that different standards apply to public figures. In this case, it would have been an extra precaution and a way to dispel any doubts as soon as possible.
“As it seems now, I understand that R. Šimašius completed the statement correctly. But I believe that understanding the importance of the position of mayor, knowing that he is a public figure, and recognizing that his partner is an important personality for the city whose company has several projects in the city, it would make sense to know about that relationship as soon as possible.
It’s hard to imagine that July 30 was the day things really cleared up. But I understand that I speak with a bit of pretense, “Muravyov said.
On January 19, R. Šimašius publicly announced that he had “made the decision to divorce” with his then-wife A. Matulaitė, adding that he had been living separately for several months before.
He then wrote that “the relationship could not be maintained to bring joy and contribute to the happiness that we all deserve.”
[ad_2]
