LRT annual report rejected as director calls process disrespectful

The governing board of Lithuania’s national broadcaster LRT has rejected the company’s 2025 activity report, with director general Monika Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė criticising the review process as “disrespectful” to employees, BNS reports.

Board chairman Mindaugas Jurkynas downplayed the rejection, stating the report simply requires further refinement to address audit findings from the National Audit Office. “I didn’t attend the meeting due to a work trip, but after speaking with the deputy chair, I got the impression this is just about improving the report and integrating the audit’s remarks—a normal process,” Jurkynas told BNS.

Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė condemned the handling of the report, calling it unprecedented in her tenure. “This is the first time in my career that an LRT annual report has been reviewed and rejected this way—comments were submitted after deadlines, and the agenda item was removed without explanation,” she said.

The director noted that while the board’s audit and procurement committees had previously approved the report, some members who had backed it earlier abstained from the final vote. She also highlighted procedural irregularities, including the report’s repeated removal from meeting agendas despite being scheduled for approval in March.

Jurkynas countered that Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė had the authority to include the report on the agenda at any time but only did so before the most recent meeting. “Under board rules, items can be added by the chair, two members, or the director general. She never requested it until now,” he said. The board must approve the report by July 1, and Jurkynas insisted the timeline remains intact.

Key criticisms from board committees centred on insufficient responses to the National Audit Office’s findings. Garbačiauskaitė-Budrienė maintained that LRT staff had adhered to the original schedule, preparing the report in January for a February review, only for it to be repeatedly delayed or removed from agendas without justification.