Lithuanian social democrats deny secret talks to preserve Skvernelis’ legal immunity
Monday 13th April 2026 on 12:15 in
Lithuania
Acting leader of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) Mindaugas Sinkevičius has dismissed claims that former prime minister Saulius Skvernelis is negotiating with social democrats to secure votes against stripping his legal immunity, **LRT** reports.
“We deny any talk of possible agreements or interpretations that secret discussions are taking place behind the scenes,” Sinkevičius told the **ELTA** news agency. “We have no indication that any talks are underway to save someone in exchange for future favours. That will not happen. Social democrats will unanimously support the motion to lift immunity.”
Skvernelis, a former leader of the Democrats’ Union “For Lithuania” and now an independent MP, faces a prosecutor’s request to remove his parliamentary immunity. Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė has accused him of accepting a €51,000 bribe through his former advisor Agnė Silickienė to secure political favours. The case is linked to a broader corruption probe involving Jurijus Kornijenko, the dismissed head of the State Plant Service.
Sinkevičius said he expects Skvernelis to agree to a simplified procedure for deciding his immunity case, avoiding the need for a temporary parliamentary commission. “The prosecutor came for Skvernelis, and I believe he will request a simplified process. There’s no need for a commission,” he added.
Earlier, civic activist and Skvernelis’ former advisor Skirmantas Malinauskas claimed on the **politika.lt** news site that Skvernelis and Gintautas Paluckas, a social democrat and former prime minister, were coordinating how to vote in a potential secret ballot to preserve Skvernelis’ immunity. Malinauskas alleged that Paluckas’ faction within the LSDP was “negotiating” to ensure mutual protection, suggesting Paluckas feared his own legal exposure.
Skvernelis has since suspended his party membership but retains his parliamentary seat. He has not yet commented on whether he will request a simplified immunity review.