Skvernelis denies wrongdoing as prosecutor seeks to lift his legal immunity

Lithuania’s Prosecutor General has formally requested that parliament strip MP Saulius Skvernelis of his legal immunity amid a corruption probe, though the former prime minister maintains he has done nothing wrong, a party colleague told public broadcaster LRT on Wednesday.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, deputy chairman of the Democrats “For Lithuania” party, confirmed that Skvernelis had privately repeated his public denial of any misconduct. “He has said the same thing to us as he has in public—that he has done nothing wrong and feels completely at ease,” Sinkevičius said in an interview with LRT’s Dienos tema programme. “He is cooperating with law enforcement and will answer all questions to help conclude this investigation as quickly as possible.”

The request to lift Skvernelis’s immunity follows a preliminary corruption investigation at the State Plant Service involving 14 individuals. Another MP, Kazys Starkevičius, resigned his seat and suspended his Conservative Party membership earlier in the case.

Fellow deputy leader Lukas Savickas described the prosecutor’s move as “a complete surprise,” noting that Skvernelis had participated fully in parliamentary sessions on Wednesday with no indication of the impending announcement. “We had no prior information—even now, we know very little beyond the headlines,” Savickas said. He added that party statutes require Skvernelis to suspend his membership, with a board meeting scheduled for Thursday to formalise the step.

Skvernelis has previously stated that coalition agreements should mandate automatic resignation if a lawmaker faces formal charges, but he now says he will “consider what to do next.” Party officials declined to speculate on his decision, emphasising their policy of responding to facts rather than “emotions.”

The case centres on allegations tied to a €51,000 payment referenced in the prosecutor’s letter, though no further details have been disclosed.