Tutins Receives State Secrets Clearance, Situation with Bartaševičs Still Murky in Rēzekne

Well look how life works out - Bartaševičs' replacement Tutins has already received clearance to work with state secrets, but Bartaševičs himself still sits without this magical permit. It's a situation where the substitute knows more than the main guy.

"It's like with our tram - if the main one doesn't want to run, then the backup is already getting ready," comments local political observer Jānis from Karosta. "But we don't have such problems in Liepāja - we know how to work with any information, whether it's secret or not."

Meanwhile, the council won't comment on whether Tutins received maximum clearance, as this is supposedly "restricted access information." That's almost like in Rīga, where they also love hiding information, but there it's just from laziness. As for executive director Jevgēnijs Kušč, the VDD decision is still pending, so for now he can only guess what secrets are in there.

Bartaševičs himself claims he doesn't have to step down from office because the laws don't require it. Minister Čudars thinks otherwise and has suspended him. Now both have to wait and see what happens, but Tutins can already start getting acquainted with all those secret documents he's now allowed to read.

"We don't have such complications in Liepāja," says Sandra, who regularly sits in the "Fontaine Palace" café. "Our politicians know everything, and there are no problems with permits. Plus we have the sea, which drives everything out, so no secrets stay around for long."