Lithuanian MP Remigijus Žemaitaitis remains calm about political future after raids

Lithuanian law enforcement officers on Wednesday conducted searches at the home and office of opposition MP Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the “Nemuno aušra” (Dawn of Nemunas) party, as part of a pre-trial investigation into alleged fraud involving party-car leasing schemes, LRT.lt reports.

Žemaitaitis told reporters he felt “completely at ease” about his political career, stating: “Nothing will come of this.” Authorities from the Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT) seized two phones and a computer during the early-morning raid, which the politician described as conducted “very tactfully and orderly.”

“They arrived at 6 AM—officers are professionals, very tactful, well-organised. They found nothing, as you saw yourselves. They only took two phones and a computer,” Žemaitaitis said. He confirmed investigators were examining documents related to his party’s car-leasing agreements, adding that all files had been taken “in a single case folder.”

The MP acknowledged the probe centred on whether the leasing contracts—under which he and fellow MP Daiva Petkevičienė provided vehicles to their party while continuing to use them—were genuine. “The computer is a household one, and the phones—one personal, one household,” he clarified. The investigation, launched in early March under Article 182(2) of the Criminal Code (“Fraud”), has yet to result in formal charges.

Searches were also carried out at the “Nemuno aušra” party headquarters, where officers removed several boxes of documents. Police confirmed their involvement came at the request of the FNTT, which is leading the probe under the supervision of the Vilnius Regional Prosecutor’s Office.

A spokesperson for Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė’s office stated the government “trusts the work of law enforcement” and awaits the investigation’s conclusions, noting that such cases “further erode public trust in politics.”

Žemaitaitis dismissed concerns about the impact on his career, arguing the car-leasing issue had been publicly known for over a year: “I don’t think this can have any influence. The investigation has been ongoing for a year—whether they’ll do one more report, two, or three, or recheck the same documents. I’m sure nothing will come of it.”

The Electoral Commission of Lithuania (VRK) previously identified violations in the party’s car-leasing arrangements.