Social Democrat calls for ethics probe into MP’s committee attendance

A member of Lithuania’s parliament has formally requested an ethics investigation into a fellow lawmaker for allegedly prioritising a secondary committee meeting over her mandatory duties, state broadcaster LRT reports.

Indrė Kižienė, a Social Democratic MP, has asked the Seimas Ethics and Procedure Commission to examine whether Agnė Širinskienė violated parliamentary rules by attending a Culture Committee session while her primary Legal and Law Enforcement Committee was in session.

Under Seimas regulations, MPs must attend meetings of their assigned committees, with participation in other committees permitted only as an addition—not as a replacement for core obligations. Kižienė’s complaint states that on 15 April, Širinskienė was present at the Culture Committee (with advisory voting rights) during the same time slot as her mandatory Legal Committee meeting, from 10:00 to 13:00.

“This behaviour clearly fails to meet the standards for fulfilling an MP’s duties and raises justified doubts about proper performance of her role,” Kižienė wrote, requesting a formal investigation into the incident.

The Culture Committee spent Wednesday reviewing proposals for amendments to the law governing Lithuania’s national broadcaster LRT. Širinskienė had submitted her own proposals to the draft law, though the scheduled discussion time did not overlap with her advisory role in the committee.

Širinskienė dismissed the complaint, urging the ruling coalition to “finally sit down and read the Seimas Statute” in their second term. She argued that MPs have the right to present proposals in other committees and blamed poor scheduling by the majority for forcing her to wait two days to present her input. “Committees don’t work like this. They work much more harmoniously,” she told LRT.

“In this case, I suggest reading the Statute and not fighting with the Devil,” she added, referencing her nickname Nuodėgulis (“The Devil”).

The Culture Committee ultimately rejected a proposal to require LRT to sign a public service contract with the government but supported reducing the broadcaster’s council term from six or four years to a shorter period. It also backed cutting the council’s size from 12 to 11 members, though the committee chair advocated retaining the current 15-member structure. Discussions will continue on Friday.