Ethics watchdog receives complaint over election commission member Matjošaitytė

Lithuania’s Chief Official Ethics Commission has received a complaint about possible conflicts of interest involving Laura Matjošaitytė, a member of the country’s Central Electoral Commission.

Commission chair Jolanta Bernotaitė told Delfi that officials would review the information in the complaint and gather supporting data if necessary. They will then decide whether grounds exist to open an investigation. The law gives the commission 20 working days from receipt of the complaint to take those steps.

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We inform you that VVTEK received a person's report today concerning a possible breach by VRK member Laura Matjošaitytė of the provisions of the Law on the Reconciliation of Public and Private Interests.

The complaint follows a Delfi report that Matjošaitytė, a lawyer, advised the Nemunas Dawn party on membership-fee issues before the 2024 parliamentary election. The report also said she helped prepare the party’s response to the Central Electoral Commission. She later became a commission member but did not publicly disclose that she had advised the party. Matjošaitytė did not tell Delfi whether she had been paid, saying the matter involved her professional work as an attorney.

Delfi said it had conclusive evidence that Matjošaitytė prepared the response on behalf of Nemunas Dawn. The party’s then-delegated justice minister, Rimantas Mockus, nominated her to the electoral commission. Current Justice Minister Rita Tamašunienė is awaiting the ethics commission’s view. The ministry said further legal action should follow only if the commission establishes breaches involving interest declarations or the reconciliation of public and private interests. A Central Electoral Commission spokeswoman said the party’s financial documents did not show expenses for Matjošaitytė’s legal services.

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First, the possible violations committed by Laura Matjošaitytė should be investigated by VTEK, and only if VTEK establishes relevant violations involving the declaration of private interests or the reconciliation of public and private interests should the justice minister decide on further legal action.