2024-05-01 21:56:30
“The president does not agree with the decision of VTEK, but the head of state decided not to litigate with the state institution. For the president, independent state institutions are an important part of the democratic state of Lithuania,” presidential advisor Ridas Jasiulionis said in his answer to Elta, when asked what the reasons were for the decision not to appeal the findings of the VTEK to the court.
E. Bajarūnas did not answer the questions sent by Elta regarding the decision not to appeal the conclusion of VTEK.
The conclusions of VTEK are usually disputed before the Administrative Court of the Regional District. His representative Sigita Gamulėnienė confirmed to Eltai that the court did not receive the complaints of E. Bajarūnas and G. Nausėda. If the VTEK decision is not appealed to the court, it remains valid.
ELTA reminds that on January 30 VTEK decided that President G. Nausėda and the then Lithuanian Ambassador to the United Kingdom E. Bajarūnas violated the Law on Public and Private Interests when they visited the musical “Phantom of the Opera”. The commission found that the visit was of a private nature and was paid for by the embassy.
“VTEK unanimously decided at today’s meeting that the President of the Republic of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda and Ambassador Eitvydas Bajarūnas violated the provisions of the Law on the Alignment of Public and Private Interests,” said Gediminas Sakalauskas, chairman of VTEK.
After the investigation, it was concluded that President G. Nausėda used his status and position for personal gain – to get tickets to the performance. Tickets to the performance for the president and his wife should also be considered an illegal gift, which is prohibited by the Law on the Reconciliation of Public and Private Interests.
The commission also found that E. Bajarūnas violated the provisions of the law, obliging him to perform official duties impartially, honestly and properly. These provisions also prohibit the use of official duties and official status for personal gain and use and allow others to use property owned by the state or municipalities for non-official activities, VTEK emphasizes.
During the investigation, it was established that the representative of the Presidency in 2023 in April approached the embassy in the United Kingdom with a request to offer the president a cultural event during his visit to London, after the official events. The embassy offered three options, then the Presidency informed that the president and his wife should go to the “Phantom of the Opera”. An ambassador was also requested to accompany the president to the event.
The visit of the president, the ambassador and the two spouses to the theater in 2023. in May was paid from the funds of the embassy. According to the chairman of VTEK, tickets to the event cost over 1,600 euros.
“The commission found that this event was of a private nature and there were no official meetings with representatives or leaders of other countries. This means that such events need to be paid for with personal funds”, emphasized G. Sakalauskas.
VTEK emphasizes that at the beginning of the investigation, E. Bajarūnas himself admitted that the event was private, because “the forecast that foreign heads of state will participate in the event did not come true.” He later paid for all the tickets from his personal funds. True, he did that more than four months after the performance. The order came two days after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Internal Audit Division asked the embassy to provide documents on representational expenses.
Regarding the visit of E. Bajarūnas and G. Nausėda to the opera, Seimas member Matas Maldeikis applied to VTEK in October last year. The politician raised the question of whether the ambassador did not confuse public and private interests, and also whether the president declared that he had received a gift, if the tickets were purchased with the diplomat’s personal funds and not with the embassy’s funds.
Last October, Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabrielius Landsbergis temporarily suspended the functions of Ambassador E. Bajarūnas until the constructive and productive work of the Lithuanian representation in London is restored.
From April 15 E. Bajarūnas was recalled from the ambassadorship in the United Kingdom, he was appointed as an advisor to the Department of Strategic Management and Analysis of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
As previously announced, after information about the possible mobbing of E. Bajarūnas appeared in the public space last fall, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidency disagreed on whether the ambassador could continue his duties. As a result of this situation, the ministry conducted an inspection, the results of which showed that the ambassador had violated his authority.
2024-05-01 21:56:30