Lithuania’s Freedom Party spent at least €58,900 on services from members and affiliates

The non-parliamentary Freedom Party, which was part of Lithuania’s ruling coalition in the previous term, spent at least €58,900 on services purchased from its own members and affiliated individuals in 2024, an investigation by news outlet 15min revealed on Tuesday.

According to the analysis of public procurement records, the party signed two service contracts in January and June 2024—while still in government—for “communication project coordination” and “project coordination.” A €3,600 contract went to Eligijus Gerulis, a former expatriate advisor to then-party leader Tomas Vytautas Raskevičius in the Seimas, while an €8,000 contract was awarded to Gintvilė Bagdonavičiūtė, a former advisor to party co-founders Aušrinė Armonaitė and Ieva Pakarklytė. Both Gerulis and Bagdonavičiūtė later ran for Vilnius City Council in 2023, with Bagdonavičiūtė also unsuccessfully seeking a parliamentary seat; neither remains a party member.

Further contracts included:

• €5,700 in March 2024, €2,400 in January 2025, and €8,500 in August 2025 for public procurement consulting with Dalius Bučinskas, head of the party’s Joniškis branch;
• €14,400 in November 2024 for event organisation services with Raminta Lukšaitė, a party employee and former Raskevičius advisor;
• €16,300 in March 2025 for “communication planning and implementation” with party member Asta Padagaitė.

Freedom Party representative Vaiva Savickė told 15min that the individuals were selected for their “quality services at market prices,” noting no legal obligation to hold competitive tenders under public procurement law. She added that contracts could be awarded to single or multiple providers at the party’s discretion.

Newly elected party leader and Vilnius Vice Mayor Vytautas Mitalas, who assumed the role in early March, stated he could not assess the procurements directly but pledged to formalise ongoing work through employment or structured contracts. Former leader Raskevičius previously defended the practice, arguing that purchasing services from members or affiliates was acceptable if the work met quality standards.

Ieva Dunčikaitė of Transparency International Lithuania cautioned that while ties to the party do not inherently indicate improper procurement, transparency over competitive selection and the proportion of such contracts remains critical. According to Central Electoral Commission data cited by 15min, the Freedom Party received nearly €1.53 million in state funding since 2021—significantly less than larger parties like the conservatives or social democrats.