Investigative journalist claims mayor’s mother received cottage as bribe for public contracts

A cottage purchased by the mother of Širvintos Mayor Živilė Pinskuvienė may have been a bribe from a businessman whose company won over €6 million in public tenders, investigative journalist Skirmantas Malinauskas alleged in a report by LRT.

The cottage in Palanga was bought from Vilmantas Guobys, head of construction firm Vilmstata, which secured multiple contracts in Širvintos, including a €2 million family and sports park project that later doubled in cost. Malinauskas suggested the below-market sale could be linked to the company’s repeated tender wins.

Guobys denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations “lies.” “This has no connection to the mayor, public tenders, or Širvintos,” he told LRT.

Pinskuvienė, who has not directly addressed the claims, posted on social media that her family is being persecuted, citing a break-in at her mother’s apartment in Vilnius. She stated that all questions had been answered in a report submitted to the Special Investigation Service (STT).

The mayor later released a video statement saying she would not comment further, as “responsible institutions will provide all answers.”

Malinauskas questioned why competitors consistently withdrew from tenders won by Vilmstata, suggesting possible collusion. The Public Procurement Office has launched an investigation into the sports park contract, which Pinskuvienė attributed to unstable soil conditions requiring extra concrete and reinforced foundations.

Vilmstata has won 15 tenders in Širvintos, including street lighting modernisation projects. While Guobys insisted other companies had also secured contracts, local councillor Saulius Voveris noted long-standing rumours about favouritism. “This is now a matter for law enforcement to clarify,” he said.