Lithuanian politician calls for Gintautas Paluckas to resign from parliament

Gintautas Paluckas, a member of Lithuania’s parliament facing corruption allegations, should step down from his seat, opposition leader Aurelijus Veryga said in an interview with national broadcaster LRT on Monday.

“From the very beginning, we were truly skeptical of this politician,” Veryga, chairman of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS), told the program Dienos tema. He argued that Paluckas’ resignation would benefit the Social Democratic Party, which he described as already “not in a very good situation.”

Paluckas, a former prime minister, and his wife are under investigation for alleged illicit enrichment. President Gitanas Nausėda previously suggested Paluckas should relinquish his parliamentary mandate and leave politics entirely. Veryga agreed, citing long-standing concerns over Paluckas’ legal troubles, including unpaid fines and a suspended sentence, which he said had fueled skepticism even during Paluckas’ bid for premiership.

“Unfortunately, our doubts seem to be confirmed—not just by the accumulating evidence but also by the involvement of other family members,” Veryga said. He added that even some Social Democrats privately view Paluckas’ continued presence in parliament as politically damaging.

When asked about the Social Democrats’ stance—party leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius has not called for Paluckas to resign from the faction—Veryga declined to speculate on their internal decisions but reiterated that resignation would be “the logical step.”

On coalition talks, Veryga confirmed preliminary discussions had taken place before Sinkevičius’ election as party leader last weekend. While no formal negotiations with LVŽS have occurred since, Veryga noted that Sinkevičius plans to meet with the leader of Nemuno aušra, a smaller coalition partner. “Talks are happening, or at least were happening,” he said, without elaborating on potential outcomes.