Lithuanian ex-PM Skvernelis faces corruption charges over agricultural agency scheme

Former Lithuanian prime minister Saulius Skvernelis is set to be formally charged with corruption over a long-running bribery scheme tied to the State Plant Service, political commentator and his former advisor Skirmantas Malinauskas told LRT Television’s Svarbi valanda programme on Wednesday.

Prosecutors allege Skvernelis received at least €51,000 in bribes in exchange for political favours involving the agency, which oversees plant imports and exports. The case centres on the appointment of Yuri Kornijenko to a key position to maintain a corrupt network that allegedly spanned multiple governments and involved links to Russia and Belarus.

Malinauskas, who previously served as Skvernelis’ advisor, described how the scheme unravelled when organised crime figures—led by convicted smuggler Marijan Taraškevičius—demanded higher payoffs from flower traders moving goods between the EU and third countries, primarily the Netherlands and Russia. “For years, the fee was €150 per truckload of flowers,” Malinauskas said. “Then Taraškevičius and his group decided to double it to €350, using intimidation. Trucks were stopped, flowers unloaded in winter—imagine the losses.”

The network reportedly included former MP Vitalija Vonžutaitė, whose romantic ties to Taraškevičius exposed the operation. Malinauskas claimed Skvernelis’ role was to ensure Kornijenko retained his post under changing governments, providing political cover. “This wasn’t just one party or one term—it was systemic,” he said. The Democratic Union “For Lithuania,” which Skvernelis led until recently, has named MEP Virginijus Sinkevičius as interim leader ahead of a summer vote for a permanent replacement.