Lithuania’s chief ethics watchdog finds former Zarasai deputy mayor in conflict of interest

The former deputy mayor of Lithuania’s Zarasai district, Aurelija Trimonytė, engaged in a conflict of interest by advocating for her own public institution while in office, the country’s Chief Official Ethics Commission (VTEK) ruled on Wednesday.

Trimonytė, who served as deputy mayor, is the founder and co-owner of the public institution Sprendimų centras (Solution Centre). In 2025, while holding her municipal post, she twice submitted funding applications to Zarasai district municipality on behalf of the centre. After securing financing for the project Tobulėjame kartu (Improving Together), she later filed progress reports, VTEK confirmed.

The commission determined that her actions violated legal prohibitions against public officials representing or advancing the interests of private or legal entities within their own institution. The investigation followed an anonymous tip.

VTEK did not specify potential penalties or further steps. The ruling comes as Lithuania tightens oversight of public-sector ethics, with recent cases involving undeclared lobbying and misuse of office drawing scrutiny.