Lithuanian PM defends wife’s hiring as scrutiny grows

Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said on Wednesday that his wife, Aistė Sinkevičienė, began her professional career before their marriage, as questions continued over her employment. LRT reported that she holds positions at both Kaunas District Municipality and Raudondvario Manor, an institution subordinate to the municipality.

“My wife began her professional activity and career before our marriage; those are her choices. I am pleased that my wife is regarded as a specialist in her field and continually improves her professional qualifications,” Sinkevičius wrote on Facebook. He added that a working woman who receives trust should no longer cause surprise.

According to an LRT investigation, Raudondvario Manor has become a workplace for people linked to the Social Democratic Party, with Sinkevičienė also receiving a second salary there. She works remotely as a public relations representative, although her contact details are not publicly available and other employees told LRT they had not heard of such a colleague.

LRT reported that after Sinkevičienė returned from maternity leave, the municipality established a Public and International Relations Department. She became its head without a competition, as a civil servant whose performance had exceeded expectations.

The report also said that the spouse of Kaunas District Mayor Valerijus Makūnas had worked at the manor until a few months ago. The mayor’s adviser Loreta Navakauskienė and her spouse, an adviser to Education, Science and Sport Minister Raminta Popovienė in parliament, the son of the manor’s long-serving director Snieguolė Navickienė and other people linked to the ruling Social Democrats also work there.