Kasčiūnas calls Olekas’s claims about Bilotaitė’s exit rumours

Lithuanian conservative leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas has urged parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas to provide evidence for his unconfirmed claims about Agnė Bilotaitė’s reasons for leaving parliament, calling it dishonourable to spread rumours. LRT reported the remarks.

“I do not comment on rumours. If the speaker has facts, he should put them on the table,” Kasčiūnas told reporters at the Seimas, Lithuania’s parliament. Without evidence, he said, Olekas would be a “rumour-monger”.

Kasčiūnas said he knew Bilotaitė’s decision was linked to health problems and that she had been less active in parliament over the past six months. He said the decision had not come as a surprise and that the two had exchanged messages before she made it.

Olekas has said he has unverified information that raises questions about the motives behind Bilotaitė’s departure, but has not disclosed what it is. He said it still needed to be checked and that the circumstances might become clear over time. Bilotaitė has denied the claims.

The Central Electoral Commission approved Bilotaitė’s request to give up her parliamentary seat last week. She announced her decision citing personal reasons, and her mandate is due to end on October 14. Conservative Kęstutis Masiulis, first in line on the party’s electoral list, is expected to take her place.