Seimas appoints Bernotaitė as head of ethics commission

The Lithuanian parliament (Seimas) on Tuesday approved Jolanta Bernotaitė as chair of the Chief Official Ethics Commission (VTEK) in a secret ballot, LRT reports.

Seventy lawmakers voted in favour of her candidacy, six opposed, and nine abstained. Bernotaitė was previously appointed as a VTEK member in late May.

She holds a law degree from Vilnius University and has led the Corruption Prevention and Internal Investigations Division at the Ministry of Justice since 2022.

The VTEK is an independent oversight body composed of five members, each nominated by the president, the Seimas speaker, the prime minister, the Lithuanian Bar Association, and the National Council of Non-Governmental Organisations. Members serve five-year terms, with a maximum of two consecutive terms.

The commission’s role is to assist in quickly identifying appropriate conflict-of-interest management methods and to create conditions for transparent influence on legislation. It oversees compliance with the Law on the Coordination of Public and Private Interests, the Lobbying Activities Law, and other legal acts within its competence.