Ethics commission declines to investigate Benkunskas and Bužinskas over Rytas game attendance

The Chief Official Ethics Commission (VTEK) has decided not to launch an investigation into Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas and municipal administration director Adomas Bužinskas over their attendance at a Vilniaus Rytas basketball game in Badalona, Spain, LRT reports.

In a statement, VTEK said its collected data confirmed that the officials covered their own expenses for the FIBA Champions League final, where Rytas played. The commission found no evidence that they had used municipal, club, or third-party funds.

The case was brought to VTEK by opposition council member Aleksandras Nemunaitis, who questioned whether public officials should accept what he called privileges from organisations whose funding and status are decided by the municipality. Nemunaitis also asked VTEK to assess Benkunskas’s informal meeting with Arvydas Avulys, board chairman of real estate developer Hanner, who was seated next to the mayor at the game. Hanner owns the company managing the construction of Vilnius’s National Stadium and is involved in other major city projects.

Earlier, Delfi reported that Vilnius City Council had allocated a €500,000 bonus to Rytas for the 2025–2026 season in recognition of high sports achievements and city promotion.