Lithuanian lawmaker and former prime minister Gintautas Paluckas said Wednesday he does not plan to resign from parliament or give up his mandate after prosecutors moved to strip his legal immunity.
“No, I do not plan to. I believe I can still do a lot of good for Lithuania,” Paluckas told TV3 News.
Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis, honorary chairman of the ruling Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, urged the former prime minister to step down.
“Gintautas, leave the Seimas and defend yourself outside of it. It will be better for everyone – for Gintautas and for the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party,” Andriukaitis told TV3 News.
Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė said Wednesday that Paluckas would decide for himself whether to continue working with the Social Democratic parliamentary group, while reiterating calls to await the outcome of the investigation.
The Prosecutor General's Office of Lithuania said last week it would seek to lift Paluckas’ immunity to bring charges of illicit enrichment. Investigators allege that Paluckas and his wife acquired assets worth nearly 344,578 euros from unclear income sources.
Paluckas recently sold a 51% stake in the Vilnius-based electronics company Emus to its co-owner and manager, Mindaugas Milašauskas.
On April 24, prosecutors seized apartments in Vilnius belonging to Paluckas and his spouse, though other family assets have not been seized.
Paluckas denies the allegations and has suspended his membership in the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party following the investigation. Party leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius has said he may continue to serve in the parliamentary group.
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