The ongoing scandal over Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas’ businesses must be resolved with decisions that would clearly define the boundaries between participation in politics and in business, says Parliament Speaker Saulius Skvernelis, leader of the Democrats “For Lithuania” party.
“I have no doubt that this whole story will result in some decisions. Because we have also heard the opinions of several former Constitutional Court judges […] stating and explaining that the line should indeed [...] be clearly defined and that there should be a mechanism in place so that the line is very clear once you become a politician,” Skvernelis told the radio Žinių Radijas on Wednesday.
Several investigative reports have focused on Prime Minister Paluckas’ past and present businesses, raising questions about possible conflicts of interest and suspicious dealings. The allegations are investigated by the Chief Official Ethics Commission.
“The investigation by the Chief Official Ethics Commission will probably tell us a lot,” Skvernelis said. “Decisions will be needed, because we see these cases practically every [government term] irrespective of who is in power and who is in opposition.”
According to Skvernelis, the activities that MPs and government ministers can engage in are set out in the constitution, and to add new ones, the country’s fundamental law would have to be amended.
“Apparently, this is hardly possible. Therefore, decisions to define those limits will have to be made,” he said. “And there are nuances all the time in every term of the Seimas [parliament] because we have singers, we have actors, and we have people owning stocks.”
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