Ethics commission decides not to investigate Mindaugas Sinkevičius’ Brussels trip

Lithuania’s Chief Official Ethics Commission (VTEK) has decided not to launch an investigation into a recent trip to Brussels by Mindaugas Sinkevičius, the leader of the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party and a candidate for prime minister, LRT reports.

Deputy Chair of VTEK Virginija Aleksejūnė told BNS on Tuesday that the commission, after reviewing a complaint and additional material, found no grounds to open a probe into Sinkevičius’ travel.

The complaint alleged that Sinkevičius may have attended a meeting with MEPs Virginijus Sinkevičius and Aurelijus Veryga in Brussels—amid coalition formation talks—as a representative of local government, potentially misusing his official position and covering travel expenses for personal purposes.

However, the commission gathered information showing that Sinkevičius traveled to Brussels at the invitation of the Lithuanian Association of Municipalities to participate in a political council meeting of the European Committee of the Regions’ project platforms. The trip had a clear institutional basis, officials said.

“The collected data also showed that the meeting with MEPs took place during an unofficial event and did not prevent Mindaugas Sinkevičius from participating in the scheduled activities,” Aleksejūnė said.

Based on these circumstances, the ethics watchdog concluded there was no evidence that Sinkevičius failed to perform his duties, misused his official position, or used public funds for non-official purposes during the trip.

Earlier in June, Sinkevičius visited Brussels, where he met with leaders of the Democratic and Farmers’ parties ahead of formal coalition negotiations.