Asset declarations filed by MPs, their aides and relatives show that a small group of politicians are holding more than €2m in cash. Members of the Nemuno Aušra party appear particularly fond of cash holdings, although six-figure sums are also declared by politicians from other parties., LRT Tyrimų skyrius, LRT.lt, Jūratė Damulytė, Karolis Juršys, 15min.lt, , delfi.lt, Birutė Davidonytė, Ignas Kinčinas, „Redakcija“, Šarūnas Černiauskas, Gabija Kučinskaitė, „Siena“
Parliament has already unsuccessfully attempted to raise the cash payment limit to €15,000. A new proposal would enshrine the right to pay in cash in the Constitution.
However, both law enforcement authorities and leaders of major political parties say large cash holdings lack transparency/
An analysis by journalists from five newsrooms found that just a handful of Nemuno Aušra representatives declared more than €1m in cash last year.
For example, party leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis declared more than €200,000 in cash. A similar amount was declared by Ramūnas Vyžintas, the only Social Democrat on the list.
Large cash holdings are also common in the mixed parliamentary group. Ramūnas Kartenis, an adviser to conservative MP Gintarė Skaistė, also exceeded the €100,000 mark.
According to the State Tax Inspectorate (VMI), anything above €100,000 in cash is considered a warning sign.
“The very fact that a person controls a large amount of cash – a significantly large sum exceeding €100,000 or more – is immediately regarded in both international and national practice as a red flag, a certain risk factor,” said Martynas Endrijaitis, deputy head of VMI.
Social Democrat Vyžintas was reluctant to discuss his €200,000 in cash.
“That is absolutely none of your business why I need such an amount in cash,” said Vyžintas.
Meanwhile, Artūras Zuokas, who declared €120,000 in cash, said he keeps the money as protection against bad governments.
“In films, we often see that if bad people want to harm you, or bad governments, the first thing they do is track you through what? Through credit card payments. In this case, I like to reduce risks,” said Zuokas, a member of the mixed parliamentary group.
Presidential adviser Donatas Augulis, who declared €130,000 in cash, also spoke about the freedom to use legally earned money as one wishes. However, when asked about it, he said he had decided to deposit the money in a bank.
“Perhaps you have drawn my attention to this. It might make sense to transfer part, or most, of it into a bank account,” Augulis said.
According to some politicians, part of their cash holdings has already been spent, although they declined to tell journalists where the money had gone.
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