Lithuanian parliament revokes findings of VSD whistleblower investigation

The Lithuanian parliament on Thursday annulled the conclusions of a 2024 parliamentary commission that investigated allegations by a former State Security Department (VSD) officer, citing a Constitutional Court ruling, LRT reports.

The decision, backed by 57 lawmakers with 27 opposed and 22 abstaining, declared that the previous parliament’s resolutions establishing the commission and approving its findings had lost legal force. The move effectively nullifies the commission’s report, which had accused President Gitanas Nausėda of potential misconduct linked to Belarusian fertilizer business interests and ties to Russian and Belarusian intelligence.

Conservative MP Mindaugas Lingė had proposed sealing the commission’s collected materials and archiving witness testimonies indefinitely, but legal advisors and the National Security and Defence Committee (NSGK) argued that annulling the commission’s mandate made such measures impossible. The parliament ultimately rejected both the sealing proposal and any mention of destroying the materials in its final resolution.

Liberal MP Eugenijus Gentvilas criticised the decision as an attempt “not just to revoke the findings, but to erase them entirely.” Conservative Arvydas Anušauskas defended the commission’s work, stating its conclusions were based on “real testimonies and documents” revealing actions by officials and politicians that posed ongoing geopolitical risks. “Those threats haven’t disappeared—they may well intensify soon, when we least expect it,” he warned.

Matas Maldeikis, a conservative who served on the commission, urged lawmakers to read the findings rather than dismiss them: “If there’s nothing of value, then publish them and prove the commission did shoddy work. But destroying them is bizarre—it should raise questions.”

Background: the 2024 investigation

The commission, active for five months, concluded in March 2024 that President Nausėda had potentially violated his oath of office by refusing to cooperate with the probe. Its report alleged that dozens of individuals in Nausėda’s circle—during his 2019 presidential campaign—had ties to Belarusian fertilizer businesses, Russian and Belarusian intelligence, and diplomats from those countries, compromising national security.

Investigators claimed then-VSD Director Darius Jauniškis had withheld critical information about these risks from decision-makers. The report also asserted that Jauniškis had assisted Nausėda’s campaign by gathering intelligence on his team and supporters, with lists of names provided either by Nausėda himself or at his direction.