Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas on Friday voiced concerns over a recommendation by the country’s intelligence agency to deny top security clearance to Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the ruling Nemunas Dawn party.
The State Security Department (VSD) has advised against granting Žemaitaitis access to classified information marked “top secret”, citing concerns about his past behaviour and character, including a Constitutional Court ruling that found he had violated his oath and the Constitution.
“The final decision will rest with the speaker of the Seimas, but based on what I have seen in the VSD report, I have quite a few legitimate questions,” Paluckas told LRT TV. “It characterises personal traits and uses them to question loyalty to the state without identifying any specific risks – it’s an interesting approach.”
The VSD pointed to a 2023 Constitutional Court decision that ruled Žemaitaitis had breached his oath of office through antisemitic remarks about Jews and the Holocaust. Though he resigned from the parliament before an impeachment process could begin, he was re-elected last October.
A criminal case regarding his remarks is also ongoing at the Vilnius Regional Court after the parliament lifted his immunity late last year.
Under Lithuanian law, the speaker of the Seimas grants or denies lawmakers access to classified information based on intelligence recommendations.
“If the recommendation is negative, the permits are not issued,” Ramunė Muzikevičiūtė-Narmontienė, an adviser to the speaker, told BNS on Thursday.
Žemaitaitis has not publicly commented on the VSD’s recommendation.
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