President Gitanas Nausėda and Eitvydas Bajarūnas, Lithuania’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, placed themselves in a conflict of interest situation when the embassy paid for their tickets to a theatre performance in London, the Chief Official Ethics Commission (VTEK) ruled on Tuesday.
Its probe found that Nausėda and Bajarūnas going to see Phantom of the Opera during the president’s visit to London was a private diversion and therefore the embassy should not have footed the bill.
Following the investigation, the watchdog concluded that Nausėda “used his status and position for personal gain” and that the tickets bought for him and his wife were “an unlawful gift”.
“The main circumstances are that on April 25, 2023, the president’s office approached the embassy with a request, I quote: ‘It would be good to have some cultural element for the president and his wife in the evening’,” VTEK chairman Gediminas Sakalauskas told reporters on Tuesday.
The embassy then offered several options, including a performance of Phantom of the Opera, which the president eventually picked, according to Sakalauskas.
“The commission [...] found that the event was private and did not involve any official meetings with representatives or leaders of other countries. This means that such events have to be paid for with personal funds,” he said.
According to the VTEK chairman, however, the law does not set out any concrete sanctions for the president or MPs for such violations.
Meanwhile, Bajarūnas has been found to have violated the provisions of the law that oblige him to perform his official duties impartially, honestly, and properly. These provisions also prohibit the use of official positions and official status for personal gain and the use and authorisation of others to use state or municipal property for non-official activities.
“The ambassador is obliged under various laws to ensure that public funds are not used for personal ends and must not allow others to use them. He failed to do so, and a violation of the law was established,” said Sakalauskas.
The diplomat cannot be promoted, hired or transferred to an equivalent or higher position for one year because of this violation, the chairman said.
“This provision must be ensured by the foreign minister,” he said.
Bajarūnas is currently back in Vilnius for consultations.
When Nausėda visited London last spring, Bajarūnas invited him and his wife to see Phantom of the Opera and billed the tickets to the embassy.
The ambassador later said that it was a misunderstanding, which he rectified by reimbursing the expenses with his personal funds. The tickets cost 1,600 euros.
The VTEK investigation looked into whether the theatre visit was directly related to the performance of the president’s and ambassador’s official duties.
The President’s Office has disputed the VTEK’s ruling.
“The President of the Republic did not receive any gifts or services. He did not participate in the theatre performance as a private person, but in fulfilment of his duties as the Head of State, as set out in Articles 77 and 84 of the Constitution, and in compliance with the requirements of diplomatic protocol,” the Presidential Office said in a written comment sent to BNS.
Bajarūnas has also said he does not agree he violated any rules.
“I am still awaiting the detailed text of the conclusions. I do not agree with the decision and I do not feel I have broken the law. On the contrary, I have carried out my duties in good faith. I did not receive any benefit, I was acting as an ambassador. I will think about ways to defend my honour, including appealing this decision of the VTEK to the Regional Administrative Court,” Bajarūnas said in a comment to BNS.
The ethics watchdog’s ruling can be appealed in court.
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