Prime minister’s advisor: prosecutor’s assessment needed after ethics watchdog finds Žemaitaitis violated law

The office of Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė will await the prosecutor’s evaluation after Lithuania’s Chief Official Ethics Commission (VTEK) ruled that Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Nemuno Aušra party, “grossly violated” conflict-of-interest laws by leasing a car to his own party, advisor Ignas Dobrovolskas told LRT on Monday.

“We respect institutional findings. Since VTEK has decided to refer the case to the prosecutor’s office, it is important to await their assessment—only then will the situation be evaluated comprehensively,” Dobrovolskas stated in a response to the ELTA news agency.

VTEK’s investigation, concluded on Monday, found that Žemaitaitis breached the Law on the Coordination of Public and Private Interests by renting a vehicle to Nemuno Aušra, the party he chairs. The commission has forwarded its findings to prosecutors for further action.

Žemaitaitis has denied wrongdoing and dismissed the idea of challenging the ethics watchdog’s decision in court as “pointless.” The Central Electoral Commission (VRK) previously ruled that Nemuno Aušra had “grossly violated” the law through the car rental arrangement, leading to the party being denied a six-month state subsidy of over €240,000. The party has since filed an appeal with Lithuania’s Supreme Administrative Court (LVAT).

VRK also determined that Nemuno Aušra violated financial accounting regulations by transferring nearly €50,000 to Žemaitaitis and another party member, Daiva Petkevičienė, for vehicle rental—misusing state budget funds and submitting incorrect financial reports.

The car rental agreement, worth €31,500, was signed on January 17, 2024, and remained valid until November 13 of the same year, though it was only made public on January 29. The contract listed Nemuno Aušra as the lessee and Žemaitaitis as the lessor.