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RIGA, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Councilors in Latvia's resort city Jurmala elected Rita Sproge as new mayor on Friday after Gatis Truksnis under investigation for alleged involvement in illegal party financing, stepped down.
Like Truksnis, Sproge is a member of Latvia's ruling Greens and Farmers Union, and was elected as Jurmala's new mayor by 12 votes to two.
After resignation, Truksnis will continue work as a member of the city council and plans to run in this year's local elections with the hope to reclaim his position.
Truksnis released a statement on Friday saying that his life in recent months had been "full of anxiety and great distress" which had affected his health.
Truksnis was unseated as Jurmala mayor in October last year after officers of the Corruption Prevention Bureau raided his office as part of an investigation into his alleged involvement in illegal financing of the Greens and Farmers Union.
Julijs Krumins, a millionaire businessman known to be a sponsor of the Greens and Farmers Union, was also detained as part of the probing.
According to media reports, Truksnis had also used an apartment in a new housing block built by Krumins in Jurmala.
Both Truksnis and Krumins were later released, but the probing is still ongoing.
In November, Truksnis was reinstated as Jurmala mayor, but the board of the Latvian Green Party, a member of the Greens and Farmers Union, decided to expel him from the party.
Truksnis said he would contest his expulsion. Enditem
