Lithuanian ruling coalition split over vote to strip MP Paluckas of legal immunity

The leader of Lithuania’s ruling “Nemuno Aušra” (Dawn of Nemunas) faction, Remigijus Žemaitaitis, has stated he will not support removing legal immunity from fellow MP Gintautas Paluckas, while rumors circulate of a behind-the-scenes effort to shield the former prime minister from prosecution, *LRT* reports.

Speaking to *ELTA* on Wednesday, Žemaitaitis dismissed calls to lift Paluckas’ immunity, arguing the case should first be resolved through tax proceedings rather than criminal investigation. “I see this as a routine tax matter,” he said. “The state should first determine whether the income was properly declared and taxed. It’s strange to skip the tax process and jump straight to criminal charges.”

The faction, which holds 18 seats in the 141-member Seimas, faces internal divisions ahead of Thursday’s vote. Žemaitaitis confirmed at least six of its MPs—including Tadas Sadauskas and Mantas Poškaus, currently attending national security training, and Kęstutis Bilius, in Brussels for a European Parliament committee meeting—will be absent due to official trips or illness. “Six or seven won’t be there,” he said, adding he still expects enough votes to pass the measure.

Meanwhile, Agnė Širinskienė, deputy chair of the opposition “Vardan Lietuvos” (For Lithuania) faction, accused unnamed figures of pressuring lawmakers to leave the chamber during the vote to artificially reduce the majority needed to strip immunity. In a social media post, she warned colleagues against participating in what she called a “save Gintas” scheme, labeling its proponents “manipulators.” Even if the vote fails, Širinskienė noted, Paluckas would only retain temporary protection under a “statute of limitations freeze” while in office—leaving him vulnerable to prosecution once his term ends.

Social Democrat faction leader Orinta Leiputė reiterated her party’s stance that parliamentary immunity should not shield members from legal accountability. The Seimas Ethics and Procedures Commission previously recommended lifting Paluckas’ immunity over allegations of undeclared income linked to property purchases.