Electoral commission to rule on serious violations by Nemuno Aušra and Žemaitaitis

The Central Electoral Commission (VRK) will decide on Thursday whether to recognise serious violations of the law by the Nemuno Aušra party and its leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis, LRT reports.

The alleged violations relate to the financing of the party’s 2024 parliamentary and presidential election campaigns, including potential use of donations from legal entities and third-party contributions.

An investigation by the VRK found that Nemuno Aušra may have financed its 2024 parliamentary election campaign using donations from legal entities and through intermediaries, which constitutes a gross violation of the Electoral Code. Additionally, the party may have violated the law by accepting and using membership fees paid by third parties, where part of the funds originated from legal entities, totalling 4,300 euros.

The commission also determined that the party may have funded its parliamentary election campaign through an intermediary, Robertas Puchovičius, the deputy chairman and election headquarters chief. Puchovičius allegedly facilitated the transfer of 24,200 euros from companies Tvari Statyba and Lajota to finance the campaign. He is the sole shareholder of both companies.

The investigation further revealed that Puchovičius intermediated the transfer of 4,500 euros from Tvari Statyba to finance Žemaitaitis’ presidential election campaign. Membership fees totalling 4,300 euros were also paid by third parties, including Puchovičius’ wife, Eva Puchovič, who contributed 1,500 euros using funds received from her husband’s company, and Puchovičius’ father, Edvardas Puchovičius, who paid 2,500 euros with money provided by his son.

The VRK proposes recognising that Puchovičius, by intermediating and transferring his own or funds received from legal entities to third parties to pay membership fees to the political party, violated the Law on Political Organisations. Similar violations are proposed to be recognised for Eva Puchovič, Edvardas Puchovičius, and Paulius Kazilionis. Puchovičius is also proposed to be found in violation of the Electoral Code.

Nemuno Aušra is proposed to be recognised as having violated both the Electoral Code and the Law on Political Organisations for the same reasons. Žemaitaitis is proposed to be found in gross violation of the Electoral Code for financing his 2024 presidential campaign with donations from legal entities, through intermediaries, and from prohibited funding sources.

Aleksandras Fursas is also proposed to be found in violation of the Electoral Code for transferring 5,000 euros intended for Žemaitaitis’ presidential campaign to Lina Šukytė-Korsakaitė, who then passed the funds to the campaign as her personal donation.

The VRK proposes postponing the decision on obliging Nemuno Aušra to transfer the illegally obtained funds, totalling 28,500 euros, to the state budget until the issue of state budget allocations to political parties is resolved. Additionally, Žemaitaitis is proposed to be obligated to transfer 9,500 euros of illegally obtained campaign funds to the state budget within 20 working days.

In a separate ruling in June, the VRK found that Nemuno Aušra had misused state funds allocated for the party by using them to rent cars for Žemaitaitis and party vice-chair Daiva Petkevičienė, rather than for their intended purpose. The party also submitted misleading data in its financial reports.