Lithuanian Democrats gather to decide party’s future after Skvernelis faces corruption allegations

The leadership of Lithuania’s Democratic Union “For Lithuania” convened Friday to elect an interim leader and discuss the party’s direction after its chairman, Saulius Skvernelis, was expected to face bribery charges, LRT reports.

The party’s board meeting, held in Vilnius, aimed to select a temporary replacement for Skvernelis, with results anticipated by late afternoon. Lukas Savickas, the party’s deputy chairman, told journalists ahead of the session that the decision would follow internal procedures and reflect collective input.

“We will make a community-based decision today,” Savickas said. “There are clearly many challenges ahead, and we hope to agree not only on who will temporarily take over as party chairman, as our statutes provide, but also on how to move forward.”

Savickas confirmed plans for a broader party congress in the near future, where members would elect a permanent chairman and renew the board. He declined to comment on whether prosecutors had questioned other party figures, stating he had “no such information.”

The meeting follows a pre-trial investigation into alleged corruption at Lithuania’s State Plant Service, an agency under the Agriculture Ministry. Prosecutors suspect a criminal group, including the service’s former director Yuri Kornijenko and 12 others, solicited bribes totaling €1.5 million from companies exporting plants and plant products in exchange for phytosanitary certificates—documents required for legal trade.

In February, authorities searched the homes and offices of Skvernelis and conservative politician Kazys Starkevičius as part of the probe. Skvernelis, a former prime minister, confirmed Thursday he would suspend his party membership if formally charged. Prosecutors allege he accepted bribes exceeding €18,500 via an intermediary to influence Kornijenko’s retention as director and the agency’s operations.