Lithuanian conservatives prepare no-confidence motion against prime minister over data breach

Opposition conservatives in Lithuania are preparing a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė following a large-scale data breach at the country’s Registrų centras (Registry Centre), LRT reports.

Laurynas Kasčiūnas, leader of the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats faction in the Seimas, said on Monday that the draft text is ready and discussions with coalition partners, including the Liberal Movement, are underway to secure the required 29 signatures. The faction currently has 28.

Under Seimas rules, at least one-fifth of MPs can submit an interpellation to the prime minister, demanding an explanation for decisions made. However, removing the head of government requires a majority vote of all parliamentarians.

Kasčiūnas criticised Ruginienė for failing to take political leadership in managing the crisis after learning of the breach. He stated that Interior Minister Vladislavas Kondratovičius had informed the prime minister of the severity of the situation but could not recall the exact date.

“We asked whether a coordination structure was created to manage the crisis. It is clear that no such structure was even planned. We also asked whether the minister was given any mandate to perform a specific function in crisis management, if the prime minister herself was not taking the lead. It is also clear, as he confirmed, that he received no such mandates,” Kasčiūnas said.

He added that no one has explained why, for a month and a half after the decision to implement certain safeguards, the public was not informed until the Prosecutor General’s Office disclosed the incident. “We also need to clarify whether there was an informal decision not to inform the public,” he said.

The conservatives have stated they will withdraw the no-confidence initiative if the ruling Social Democrats announce a change in the government leadership, including the prime minister. The Social Democratic Party is reportedly considering nominating its leader, Mindaugas Sinkevičius, for the prime minister’s position.

According to earlier reports by BNS, the Prosecutor General’s Office announced in May that it was investigating unauthorised access and the theft of over 600,000 real estate registry records, including personal identification numbers, from the Registry Centre. The breaches were carried out using credentials stolen from Migration Department employees working abroad. The first unauthorised access and data exfiltration date back to the beginning of this year. The Registry Centre became aware of the incident in early April, while the public was informed at the end of May. Ruginienė has stated she was notified on April 3.

Following reports of around 50 potentially compromised internal systems accounts, Viktorija Rūkštelė, head of the IT and Communications Department, resigned. Earlier, in late May, Adrijus Jusas stepped down as head of the Registry Centre.