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Sinkevičius names Šlepetienė as office chief, invites Jakubauskienė to join team

New Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius has appointed Brigita Šlepetienė as the head of his office, with former Health Minister Marija Jakubauskienė invited to join his team as an advisor, LRT reports.

Speaking to journalists at the Seimas, Sinkevičius confirmed that his current team remains small, with key roles such as chancellor and press representative already filled. Šlepetienė, who previously worked with Sinkevičius in the Jonava District Municipality, will lead the secretariat.

“The team is still quite small. You know the chancellor, you know the press representative. Some advisors are deciding whether to continue working with me. The head of the secretariat will be my colleague from Jonava District Municipality, Brigita Šlepetienė,” Sinkevičius said.

He also revealed preliminary agreement from Jakubauskienė to join as an advisor. “I have preliminary consent, and I hope that by announcing this today, I won’t be preempting events. But I have invited M. Jakubauskienė to join my political team at the advisory level. I have preliminary consent,” he added.

Šlepetienė previously served as the head of the General Department of the Jonava District Municipality Administration. Earlier, Sinkevičius proposed Tom Daukantas, the current chancellor of the Ministry of Transport, as the new government chancellor, with journalist Gedas Salyga set to serve as his press representative.

Meanwhile, Justas Pankauskas will no longer serve as deputy chancellor of the government, continuing instead as the responsible secretary of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP). Sinkevičius cited family reasons and Pankauskas’ preference to focus on party work ahead of elections.

Pankauskas is currently under investigation in a corruption case involving alleged expense fraud, forgery of documents, and misappropriation of funds during his tenure as a council member in the Lazdijai District Municipality between 2019 and 2021. Prosecutors accuse him of falsifying expense reports to claim reimbursement for fuel purchases, allegedly embezzling €2,516. The case was transferred to court in April.

The Seimas approved Sinkevičius’ government program on Tuesday, granting the new cabinet its mandate to begin work officially. The ruling coalition consists of the LSDP, the Democratic Party “For Lithuania,” and the Lithuanian Farmers, Greens, and Christian Families Union (LVŽKŠS).