Lithuanian parliament to reconsider destruction of intelligence whistleblower commission findings

The Lithuanian parliament will revisit a proposal to annul the conclusions of a controversial parliamentary commission that investigated a State Security Department (VSD) whistleblower case, LRT reports, citing ELTA. Lawmakers postponed a final decision until Thursday’s session.

On Monday, the Seimas approved a conservative-led initiative—backed by Mindaugas Lingė, Arvydas Anušauskas, and Matas Maldeikis—to nullify the commission’s findings and classify currently redacted information within them. The motion passed with 55 votes in favor, 33 against, and 17 abstentions.

Lingė later introduced an additional proposal to preserve the commission’s collected materials indefinitely, framing it as a “preventive” measure. “The suggestion is simple: the material should be stored without time limits so that those with legal access can review it,” he stated. This amendment also secured 55 votes (30 opposed, 15 abstentions), prompting National Security and Defense Committee (NSGK) chair Rimantas Sinkevičius to request the draft be returned to committee for further review.

The original push to destroy the findings stemmed from a December 2025 NSGK proposal by Sinkevičius, Paulius Visockas, and Tomas Martinaičius, justified as compliance with a Constitutional Court ruling. The Court had previously deemed the commission’s formation and conclusions unconstitutional, violating principles of accountable governance and rule of law.

The 2024 commission—established amid sharp political divisions—concluded that then-VSD director Darius Jauniškis had gathered intelligence on presidential candidate Gitanas Nausėda’s associates during the 2019 election, potentially sharing it with Nausėda or his team. The report also criticized President Nausėda for refusing to cooperate, alleging obstruction of parliamentary duties, and accused Special Investigations Service (STT) head Linas Pernavas of misconduct for withholding case materials.

Further findings linked Nausėda’s campaign to meetings with Belarusian fertilizer business representatives, some of whom were later invited to Presidential Palace events after his election. The commission’s work had exposed alleged financial irregularities in Nausėda’s 2018–2019 campaign funding.