Court orders MP Saulius Skvernelis to wear electronic monitor

A Lithuanian court has ordered MP Saulius Skvernelis to wear an electronic monitoring device as a precautionary measure, the General Prosecutor’s Office confirmed to LRT.

Elena Martinonienė, head of the prosecutor’s communications department, stated that the measure had been applied to Skvernelis. Wearing an electronic monitor or being placed under intensive supervision is the second most severe precautionary measure in Lithuanian criminal procedure, only imposed by a judge or court. Violating its conditions can lead to detention.

Skvernelis, who denies wrongdoing, called the decision an attempt at psychological pressure. “I disagree with this decision. It is unlawful and does not align with the goals of criminal procedure. I have appealed it and am awaiting the final court ruling. The impression is that this measure is not aimed at the goals of criminal procedure but at other goals, namely to exert psychological pressure on me,” he told LRT Television.

The MP faces serious bribery allegations. Prosecutors suspect that while serving as a member and later Speaker of the Seimas, Skvernelis received €51,000 in cash bribes via his advisor Agnė Silickienė between January and November 2025. The payments, allegedly made to gain favourable treatment for interested parties, were reportedly transferred monthly in amounts of €5,000 to €10,000.

The case is part of a broader investigation into an organised group within the State Plant Service, which allegedly systematically demanded and received bribes from companies importing plants and plant products in exchange for issuing phytosanitary certificates. The total sum of bribes may have reached €1.112 million.

Prosecutors believe Skvernelis was aware that the unlawful payments came from the proceeds of bribery by his accomplices. In April, the General Prosecutor’s Office brought charges against 16 individuals, including figures linked to organised crime and the Labour Party case.