Lithuania’s Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT) is searching the offices of Nemunas Dawn leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis, his colleague Daiva Petkevičienė and the party headquarters, prosecutors said on Thursday.
The investigation, which has been ongoing since March, focuses on potential fraud. No formal charges have been filed at this stage.
Authorities are examining whether a crime was committed when Žemaitaitis and Petkevičienė leased their personal vehicles to the party while continuing to use the cars themselves.
Nemunas Dawn, a populist party, is part of the Social Democrat-led governing coalition.
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Previously, Žemaitaitis and Petkevičienė were found to have rented their personal cars to the Nemunas Dawn party, which was paid for by state funds.
The Central Electoral Commission (VRK) ruled in March that they had misused the funds and failed to provide documentation for 49,500 euros in expenses. The party was also found to have provided false data to the Central Electoral Commission.
As a result of these gross violations, according to VRK, Nemunas Dawn lost its €241,800 state grant.
VRK also ordered Žemaitaitis and Petkevičienė to return €26,776 and €15,349, respectively.
The party has appealed the decision in court, maintaining that the cars were rented legally and according to tax authority procedures.
Nemunas Dawn rejects allegations
The Delfi news website said on Thursday that FNTT were conducting searches in the office of Robertas Puchovicius, Žemaitaitis’ deputy, but later retracted the information.
"It is a lie that searches are being conducted at my place. I can confirm that no searches are taking place," Puchovičius told reporters on Thursday.
He said he did not know where Žemaitaitis was currently located, adding that they last spoke in the evening. According to him, law enforcement “knows its job” and is trusted, though he could not comment further on the situation.
Speaking about the use of a car belonging to the party, Puchovičius said he and Žemaitaitis used it to travel across Lithuania. He argued the vehicle was used for party activities, and therefore, allegations regarding its fraudulent rental were unfounded.
Žemaitaitis’ electronic devices seized
Žemaitaitis told reporters on Thursday that his parliamentary computer and mobile phones were seized by officers during raids on his home, office and party headquarters.
“The officers were great, I must say, very tactful and orderly. They found nothing, as you probably saw yourselves; they only took two phones and a computer, and that is all,” the politician told reporters.
According to Žemaitaitis, officers arrived at his home on the outskirts of Vilnius early in the morning.
He described the raids as standard procedural actions intended to verify whether documentation matches factual data.
Žemaitaitis said a car leased to the party had been purchased by his company through a leasing agreement, and he later took over the payments himself. He maintained the vehicle was used for political activities, including travel across Lithuania, establishing party branches and attending meetings.
He also said an accounting error occurred when submitting data to the VRK, as transactions with related parties were not initially marked. He said the error was later corrected.
The politician expressed surprise over the raid at the party headquarters in Vilnius, located in his former residence, questioning what officers expected to find there.
“There can be absolutely nothing at the headquarters because a person lives there in a residential house. It is my old residence,” Žemaitaitis said.
PM ‘trusts law enforcement’
Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė “trusted the work of law enforcement agencies”, her spokesperson, Ignas Dobrovolskas, said on Thursday.
“Further comments on the investigation will be possible once law enforcement presents its findings. Such situations and the information seen in the public sphere continue to contribute to growing public distrust in politics and politicians. The negative background for politics is currently obvious,” Dobrovolskas said.
Nausėda: ‘Cycle of scandals’
President Gitanas Nausėda said he hoped the probe would be conducted without political interference.
“As long as this party remains in the ruling coalition, it is a continuous cycle of scandals, stories, and cases that never seems to end,” Nausėda told reporters on Thursday afternoon.
He described the raids as a logical continuation of an investigation related to car rentals.
“I hope they [law enforcement] will perform this work precisely, without political engagement, and help clear the political environment of things that should not be there,” Nausėda said.
Social Democrats to evaluate coalition with Nemunas Dawn
Social Democratic Party leader Mindaugas Sinkevičius said the FNTT raids will form part of an assessment whether the party can continue working with the Nemunas Dawn populists.
“The Social Democrats will soon decide whether to continue working in the current coalition or consider its restructuring. This decision will be based on a complex political assessment – it will not be determined by one or another procedural action, but they will undoubtedly become part of the overall evaluation,” Sinkevičius said.
Nemunas Dawn holds 18 seats in the Seimas
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