Šiauliai mayor found in conflict of interest over city-owned company executive’s pay

Lithuania’s Chief Official Ethics Commission (VTEK) ruled on Tuesday that Šiauliai Mayor Artūras Visockas violated conflict-of-interest laws when setting the salary of Tomas Petreikis, director of the municipality-owned energy company Šiaulių šviesa, LRT reports.

The commission found Visockas breached the Law on Coordination of Public and Private Interests by failing to disclose his personal connection to Petreikis—a potential conflict—before approving the director’s base salary, variable pay, and bonus in May last year. Under the law, Visockas was required to declare the circumstances and recuse himself from the decision.

“The commission determined that such a relationship between the individuals creates a conflict of interest, and Mr. Visockas was obligated to declare these circumstances,” VTEK Deputy Chair Virginija Aleksejūnė told journalists after the session.

The ruling follows a criminal investigation into Visockas, who stands accused of attempting to influence Petreikis—then a witness in the same case—to provide false testimony during pretrial proceedings. Both men face broader corruption charges tied to a €1.7 million public tender for streetlight installation in Šiauliai, allegedly manipulated to benefit a private firm linked to the case.

Visockas has previously denied wrongdoing, dismissing the allegations as baseless. The Šiauliai District Court began hearing the corruption case last October.