Prime minister Ruginienė barred from reappointment for three years after ethics violation ruling

The Chief Official Ethics Commission (VTEK) has ruled that Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė severely violated the Law on the Coordination of Public and Private Interests, which would prevent her from being reappointed to the same position for three years, reports the 15min news portal.

According to VTEK, under current laws, Ruginienė cannot be reappointed as prime minister for three years. Additionally, she would be ineligible to hold the office again if more than half of the current government’s ministers were replaced, requiring a new parliamentary mandate.

The Law on the Coordination of Public and Private Interests stipulates that individuals found to have grossly violated its provisions cannot be promoted, hired, transferred, appointed, or elected to equivalent or higher positions within the same institution or system for three years.

Earlier this week, VTEK determined that Ruginienė had severely violated the law by signing decrees for official delegations to Italy and the Vatican that included her family members. The commission instructed the Government Chancellery to recover the travel expenses linked to her relatives’ trips. VTEK Chairman Gediminas Sakalauskas stated that the prime minister’s direct involvement in approving the delegation compositions was the primary reason for the ruling. While he acknowledged that family members can represent the state, he emphasised that this must be done in compliance with existing regulations.

Ruginienė has announced plans to appeal the VTEK decision. The controversy arose after her official visits to Italy and the Vatican in early March, where she was accompanied not only by an official delegation but also by her husband and two children. The delegation’s travel costs were covered by the Government Chancellery. Questions were raised in the public sphere, prompting MP Agnė Širinskienė to refer the matter to VTEK. Similar concerns had previously been raised regarding Ruginienė’s delegation to the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, where her husband, Vismantas Ruginis, was also part of the delegation. The expenses for that trip, including those for her husband, were covered by the Government Chancellery and other institutions.