Forestry Service head reported possible corruption to anti-corruption body last year

Valstybinės miškų tarnybos vadovas Mindaugas Tarnauskas told a parliamentary committee on Monday that he reported suspected corruption within the institution to the Special Investigation Service (STT) in late November 2025.

The allegations relate to past activities involving forest inventory and data correction, with Tarnauskas stating that the agency had gathered substantial information on the matter since taking up his post in June 2025.

“I want to emphasise that by the end of November we filed a report with the Special Investigation Service regarding possible corrupt actions that had taken place within the institution in previous years,” he told the extraordinary meeting of the Seimas Environment Protection Committee.

The reported incidents involve 21 plots across different locations in Lithuania, primarily between 2021 and 2024, according to Tarnauskas. He added that the STT had conducted interviews as part of its inquiry.

“Following our report, interviews were conducted by the Special Investigation Service. Transparency is a key concern for us, and we will continue to act rigorously if we detect any potentially illegal activities in the future,” he said.

The allegations surfaced after an anonymous employee told the news portal 15min that staff had faced pressure over decisions related to a plot in Avižieniai, Vilnius district, near the capital. The employee claimed the area had long been considered forest but had seen repeated requests to reclassify or correct inventory data, enabling changes in land use.

According to the employee, some officials within or above the agency may have supported the development interests of a major business group, though the group’s representatives denied involvement when contacted by the portal.

The State Forestry Service said it was reviewing the latest request under established legal procedures and noted that repeated requests for similar corrections were common practice.

Tarnauskas also told the committee that the agency had issued around 1,500 decisions in 2025 related to forest inventory data corrections. “Why this particular territory has become an issue, I cannot explain. I can only say that we uphold high transparency standards and that these issues are sensitive,” he said.