🇱🇹 Lithuania’s Prime Minister Resigns Amid Corruption Scandal

Gintautas Paluckas steps down as historic abuse of office resurfaces, triggering political uncertainty ahead of regional military drills.

Zig Diaries World 

Date: Wednesday, 31 July 2025
Time: 01:00 WAT
Location: 📍Vilnius, Lithuania

Lithuania’s Prime Minister resigns under pressure as corruption investigations resurface; full government collapse likely.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has resigned following mounting public pressure and fresh investigations into past business dealings that have cast a long shadow over his short tenure. The announcement was made Thursday morning by President Gitanas Nauseda, who confirmed the resignation in a media briefing.

Paluckas, leader of the Social Democrat Party, rose to power last year through a three-party coalition formed after the October parliamentary elections. However, revelations by local media about his past conviction for corruption while serving as a municipal administrator in Vilnius sparked widespread anger.

In 2012, Paluckas was found guilty of abusing his position during the city's procurement process for rat extermination services. Court documents showed that he had favoured the highest bidder, violating public procurement laws. Though sentenced to two years in prison, he ultimately avoided jail and never fully paid a €16,500 ($19,000) fine related to the case.

Public outcry intensified after it was revealed that anticorruption agencies and law enforcement had reopened probes into the matter, leading to street protests in Vilnius calling for his resignation. Paluckas has denied any wrongdoing, claiming the renewed scrutiny is the result of a “coordinated attack” by political rivals.

With Paluckas stepping down, the entire cabinet is expected to resign, dissolving the current government and setting the stage for new coalition negotiations. The political turbulence comes just weeks before Lithuania’s neighbours — Russia and Belarus — are scheduled to hold a joint military exercise, raising concerns over the country's internal stability.

🏷️Tags: Lithuania, Gintautas Paluckas, Vilnius, Corruption, Baltic Politics, Government Collapse, Social Democrat Party
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