Lithuania’s Central Electoral Commission launches probe into alleged serious election code violation by Gintautas Paluckas

The Central Electoral Commission of Lithuania (VRK) has opened an investigation into whether former prime minister and Social Democrat politician Gintautas Paluckas committed a serious violation of the Election Code, public broadcaster LRT reports.

The probe follows a formal request from the opposition Homeland Union–Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) faction in the Seimas, which alleges Paluckas provided knowingly false information in his candidate declaration during the 2024 parliamentary elections. Specifically, the complaint claims he concealed the fact that he had not yet fully paid court-ordered compensation to Vilnius Municipality—a requirement tied to a prior conviction.

Under Lithuanian law, a Seimas member’s mandate may be terminated if elections are declared invalid or if a serious violation of election laws is confirmed. The constitutional provision cited by TS-LKD states that a lawmaker’s powers cease if they are found to have committed such a breach.

VRK’s Legal and Investigation Division confirmed receiving the complaint on April 30, noting it alleges Paluckas failed to disclose that he had not completed payment of €16,500 in damages—a penalty stemming from a 2012 corruption conviction—until July 2023, despite a court-ordered deadline of 2015. The commission initiated the investigation with near-unanimous support; the sole abstention came from a Social Democrat-appointed member.

Conservative lawmakers argue that misrepresenting the timeline of the penalty’s fulfillment is legally equivalent to concealment, as both actions could obstruct the VRK’s ability to enforce candidacy restrictions and distort the democratic process. In 2023, TS-LKD previously attempted to launch impeachment proceedings against Paluckas over allegations he used his positions as prime minister and MP to advance the interests of his private businesses, Garnis and Emus.

Paluckas resigned as prime minister in July 2023 amid public scrutiny over the unpaid compensation and ongoing pre-trial investigations into his business ties. His conviction in 2012—for abuse of office while directing Vilnius Municipality’s administration—resulted in a two-year suspended sentence and the €16,500 fine, which he claimed to have overlooked until media reports surfaced last year.