Lithuanian Democrats to elect interim leader after Skvernelis steps down

The governing board of the opposition Democratic Union “For Lithuania” will elect an interim leader on Friday after party chairman Saulius Skvernelis suspended his membership and resigned from the post, LRT reports, citing BNS.

Skvernelis, a former prime minister and speaker of the Seimas, announced his decision on Thursday after Lithuania’s prosecutor general, Nida Grunskienė, requested that parliament lift his legal immunity. Prosecutors seek to charge him with accepting bribes totalling at least €51,000 in cash in exchange for political favours related to the State Plant Service (VAT).

According to investigative documents seen by BNS, a criminal group allegedly distributed monthly bribes between June 2025 and early 2026, with Skvernelis—referred to by the codename “Crab”—among the recipients. The funds reportedly came from businesses transporting plants and plant products, paying for falsified phytosanitary certificates issued by the VAT.

Skvernelis has denied wrongdoing, calling the prosecutor’s move “surprising,” and stated he would not resign from parliament. He has not yet decided whether to waive his immunity through a simplified procedure. Removing a lawmaker’s immunity requires approval from at least 71 of the 141 Seimas members.

The corruption probe into the Plant Service has so far led to charges against 14 individuals, including the agency’s former director, Jurijus Kornijenko, and Skvernelis’s ex-adviser Agnė Silickienė. Earlier raids uncovered €1.3 million in cash, 8 kg of gold worth nearly €1 million, explosives, and cocaine. Kornijenko was appointed to his post in 2020 by then-Agriculture Minister Kazys Starkevičius, who later resigned from the conservative Homeland Union after refusing to cooperate with investigators.

The Democratic Union “For Lithuania” was founded in January 2022 and currently holds 16 seats in the Seimas. Skvernelis had led the party since its inception.