After reports about Matjošaitytė, Sinkevičius calls for facts and data on what happened

Lithuania’s prime minister says he is not ready to judge a potential conflict-of-interest case involving a member of the Central Electoral Commission. “I need a little more time to familiarize myself with the situation, so I can comment competently rather than leave only a legal interpretation or opinion,” Mindaugas Sinkevičius said after meeting coalition partners.

The issue concerns lawyer Laura Matjošaitytė, who reportedly advised Remigijus Žemaitaitis’s Nemunas Dawn on questions related to party membership fees before the 2024 parliamentary election. She later became a member of the Central Electoral Commission, known by its Lithuanian acronym VRK, and reportedly did not disclose the services or withdraw from discussions involving related questions.

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I need a little more time to familiarize myself with the situation, so I can comment competently rather than leave only a legal interpretation or opinion.

Sinkevičius said the circumstances should be assessed, including any possible conflict of interest or overlapping representation involving the commission and legal consulting. He cautioned against reaching conclusions before the facts were established. “I would not get ahead of events, because I do not yet know what happened in that situation, and I do not feel very confident commenting. We need facts and data about what actually happened,” he said.

Aurelijus Veryga, leader of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union, agreed that the VRK should address the matter first. “I think the VRK itself should first organize a discussion and a meeting to clarify the situation,” he said. Veryga added that the case might signal a need for clearer rules.

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I would not get ahead of events, because I do not yet know what happened in that situation, and I do not feel very confident commenting. We need facts and data about what actually happened.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, leader of the For Lithuania Democrats’ Union, said Matjošaitytė’s private legal work was not inherently improper, but disclosure would have been the fair course. “Once she became a member of the VRK, it would have been honest to declare that relationship and simply not participate in the vote, avoiding the situation we have today,” he said.

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I think the VRK itself should first organize a discussion and a meeting to clarify the situation.

Matjošaitytė declined to say whether Nemunas Dawn paid her, citing attorney-client confidentiality. The party’s vice-chairman, Robertas Puchovičius, said he did not know whether it had paid her. The VRK said it found no expenditure for her legal services in the party’s submitted financial documents.

The controversy follows a VRK finding that Nemunas Dawn and Žemaitaitis seriously violated the law by accepting money from unlawful sources during the 2024 parliamentary and presidential campaign period. Investigators said the party financed its 2024 parliamentary campaign through donations from legal entities and through third parties.

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Once she became a member of the VRK, it would have been honest to declare that relationship and simply not participate in the vote, avoiding the situation we have today.