Lithuania's VTEK Won't Investigate Mayor's Mother's Apartment Purchase

Lithuania's Public Procurement Review Committee (VTEK) has decided not to initiate an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the acquisition of an apartment in Palanga by the mother of the Širvintos district mayor.

In mid-June, VTEK's deputy chairwoman, Virginija Aleksejūnė, stated that the committee had received inquiries and was gathering additional information to decide whether to proceed with an investigation. This comes as the State Security Department (STT) had already launched a pre-trial investigation into the matter in early June.

According to a July 1 report by the news portal "15min," STT officers conducted searches at the apartment in Palanga, belonging to the mayor's mother, and at the Širvintos district municipality. These actions were confirmed by the STT, the Širvintos district mayor, and the lawyer representing her mother, M. Gudonienė.

Journalistic investigations by the news outlet "Delfi" revealed that M. Gudonienė may have acquired the apartment in Kunigiškės for a price significantly lower than the market rate. The seller was identified as V. Guobys, the owner of "Vilmstata," a company that had previously won public tenders from the Širvintos district municipality valued in the millions. "Viešpirkiai," a civic initiative, reported that "Vilmstata" secured a tender worth 2.4 million euros, with subsequent agreements increasing the project costs to 4.6 million euros.

"Delfi" further reported that M. Gudonienė signed the purchase agreement for the over 97-square-meter apartment in January 2024. The apartment's developers were reportedly three individuals, including businessman V. Guobys, his spouse, and another person. Based on data from the Center of Registers, the politician paid 80,000 euros for the apartment, equating to 824 euros per square meter. This price is considerably lower than the average real estate prices in Palanga advertised on property portals, according to "Delfi."