Lithuanian conservative receives legal threats from Fegda over critical social media posts

Conservative politician Mindaugas Lingė has received legal demands from construction firm Fegda to remove social media posts allegedly damaging to the company’s reputation, LRT reports.

Lingė, a member of the Seimas opposition conservative faction, confirmed he had twice been contacted by the company’s lawyers over Facebook posts criticising Fegda’s public contracts and perceived political ties. In a Friday post, he called for more transparency in dealings with the firm, which frequently bids for state-funded infrastructure projects.

The legal warnings followed a post in which Lingė questioned the early departure of officials overseeing projects linked to Fegda, writing: “The old times return—the mother party must take care of its own so no one gets in the fegdas’ way.” The company’s lawyers argued the term “fegdas” was used as a “groundless and unlawful” slur, damaging its “objective reputation,” and demanded immediate removal of the post.

Lingė rejected the claim, stating the term reflected public criticism of Fegda’s work, including defects in projects like the Rūdninkai military road—built by the firm in 2023 for €6.45 million—where flaws were identified shortly after completion. He also cited allegations of political favoritism due to the company’s reported ties to leaders of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP).

“Negative perceptions arise not from critics but from your company’s name appearing alongside defects in Rūdninkai, Via Baltica, Vilnius, and Kaunas, as well as suspicions of political protection,” Lingė wrote in response. He urged the firm to “focus less on intimidating critics and more on ensuring quality and transparency,” arguing that “in a 37-year-old democracy, even critical opinion is a protected value.”

Fegda is part of the Rudina consortium, which—alongside Merko Statyba—won a €1.33 billion (VAT inclusive) contract in January for the second phase of the Rūdninkai military town project, overseen by the Ministry of National Defence.