Special investigation service warns of corruption risks in municipal forest land repurposing

The Special Investigation Service (STT) has warned that allowing municipalities to change the designated use of state forest land in cities could create significant corruption risks, LRT reports.

The Environment Ministry has proposed permitting Alytus, Kaunas, Palanga, Raseiniai, and Utena municipalities to repurpose around 138 hectares of state forest land for trails, parks, sports facilities, solar farms, or other infrastructure. However, the STT’s anti-corruption assessment, published on Thursday, states that the proposal could enable insufficiently justified changes to the status of forests of national importance, grant excessive discretion to municipalities, and prioritise private interests over public ones.

According to the STT, Alytus and Utena municipalities plan to repurpose large forest areas—approximately 72 and 57 hectares, respectively—but their proposals lack concrete justifications for most of the land. The service also noted that it is unclear whether municipalities have properly evaluated alternatives, such as developing infrastructure without changing the land’s designated use. Additionally, the STT expressed doubts about whether the environmental impact of the projects has been adequately assessed.

The government must still approve the ministry’s draft resolution.