The prime minister resigned on Thursday amidst protests in the nation’s capital concerning probes into his alleged financial dealings.
“Gintautas Paluckas contacted me this morning and informed me of his decision to resign,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda conveyed to reporters, as reported by . Nausėda also stated that Paluckas had made the correct choice and endorsed the decision.
Nausėda had recently given Paluckas a two-week period to determine whether he would remain in his role.
“The president requested the prime minister either provide a well-reasoned response to the public’s inquiries within the next fortnight, or seriously consider his future prospects as prime minister,” presidential adviser Frederikas Jansonas informed reporters on July 24, according to LRT.
The prime minister’s departure also follows a warning from a smaller political party, which threatened to withdraw from the country’s governing coalition unless Paluckas relinquished his post.
Following the publication of investigations into Paluckas’ business and financial transactions by various media outlets, Lithuania’s anti-corruption and law enforcement bodies initiated their own inquiries, according to . One of these cases against him dates back over a decade.
In 2012, Paluckas was found guilty of improperly managing the bidding process for a rat extermination contract in Vilnius, where he served as the city’s municipality administration director, the Associated Press reported. Nevertheless, it has come to light that he failed to pay a significant portion of the nearly $20,000 fine.
A more recent controversy involved a €200,000 ($228,777) subsidized loan obtained by Garnis, a firm co-founded by Paluckas, after he had already assumed the premiership, according to LRT. The publication added that is currently investigating this loan.
Garnis was additionally implicated in a recent controversy concerning the prime minister, in which Dankora — the company owned by Paluckas’ sister-in-law — received EU funding and used it to acquire goods from Garnis. However, as per LRT, public discontent prompted Dankora to return the funds.
Paluckas denies any misconduct and alleges the criticism is part of a “coordinated assault” by his , according to the Associated Press.
The prime minister’s departure places Lithuania in a vulnerable situation, particularly as it occurs just before conduct joint military exercises. Paluckas’ entire cabinet is also anticipated to step down, potentially leaving the Baltic nation without a functional government mere weeks ahead of the Russian-Belarusian drills, as reported by the Associated Press. Nevertheless, this might not affect Lithuania’s foreign policy, since Nausėda, who represents the country on an international level, has consistently championed Ukraine throughout its prolonged conflict with Russia.