Lithuanian Minister of Education, Science and Sport Jurgita Šiugždinienė says she has handed in her resignation letter to Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė.
“I submitted my resignation to the prime minister yesterday. [...] The decision is in the hands of the prime minister,” Šiugždinienė told reporters on Thursday.
“I’ve never clung to this position. Those who know me know that I am all about work, change, and education, not about my personal position,” she added.
Šiugždinienė said she regretted the fact that the payouts she received for her work at Kaunas City Council in 2019-2020 gave the impression that she acted in a non-transparent way.
“I acted in accordance with the law, but I regret if anyone had the impression that I didn’t. The most important thing is education, I’m implementing reforms that have been delayed for more than 20 years, and they have to be implemented,” the education minister said.
“Stepping down is probably the easiest thing to do,” she added.
Lithuanian journalist and internet media personality Andrius Tapinas earlier reported that Šiugždinienė took a payment of nearly 14,000 euros from Kaunas municipality, where she was previously a council member. The funds were intended to cover work-related expenses, but the minister failed to provide receipts.
Šimonytė said on Thursday that she continues to have confidence in Šiugždinienė.
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