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V.Ąžuolas, the representative of the Farmers and Greens Union faction, got into trouble without resisting his wife Sandra’s temptations to escape to sunny Egypt during parliamentary sessions.
The politician returned from the compound with his wife and children who worked at the Kruopiai Basic School in Akmen distrito district on Sunday, after missing the first session of the Seimas spring session that began last week. Seimas President Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen appealed to the Ethics and Procedures Commission regarding this absence.
But even when he returned home, V.Ąžuolas was in no rush to meet his colleagues remotely. The peasant also did not participate in the Seimas session held on Tuesday.
Did not receive permission from the board
The Constitutional Court has clarified that the time between sessions of the Seimas is not a holiday.
Furthermore, V.Ąžuolas went abroad during the sessions without the permission of the Seimas Board.
The peasant did not even turn to her, because he did not have time for that, the suitcases had to be loaded urgently.
“There was no point asking for permission after leaving,” pleaded the deputy in the wake of the scandal.
V.Čmilytė-Nielsen believes that V.Ąžuolas’ journey goes beyond the laws: the politician is setting an inappropriate example in the face of a pandemic. Some lawmakers even spoke about a possible impeachment.
But the peasant returning from the spa does not understand the noise caused by his journey. The member of the Seimas also does not believe that he can be threatened with an accusation: “You cannot talk about this. There can be no sanctions other than urging them not to do it again. Besides, I am neither the first nor the last. “
There have been travelers before
The peasant told Lietuvos Rytas that many parliamentarians have traveled abroad without the consent of the Seimas Board, but none of them have lost their mandate.
V.Ąžuolas recalled that Petras Gražulis had left China during the last term of the Seimas without permission. Although the Seimas Board did not approve this trip, the politician who had already bought the tickets still left.
The former comrade of P. Gražulis Vytautas Kamblevičius was more distracted.
A politician who already had tickets to Thailand in his pocket even managed to declare an expensive purchase, but he doubted there were any drawbacks.
“I see that other members of the Seimas have been traveling, on vacation and nothing for ten years. I haven’t been anywhere in three quarters.
I believe, and I need to go somewhere at least once, but I see that it can fail ”, thought V. Kamblevičius, who was preparing for a long journey, as he sat on his suitcases.
When asked if it wasn’t worth getting a permit first and then buying tickets, and what to do if the board doesn’t issue it, the then MP sighed: “Oh what, am I different? Everyone drives, they don’t ask for any permits and they don’t even ask. “
In fact, in addition to the permission of the Board of Seimas, Ramūnas Karbauskis, the former president of the Culture Committee, also assumed his first term abroad.
The peasant leader then decided to accompany the Naisiai Theater, which was touring Georgia. Due to the shock, this trip of R. Karbauskis to the Board of the Seimas was blessed during his visit to Tbilisi.
True, the millionaire himself was then astonished by the shock, because he imagined that for his money he could travel wherever he wanted and did not have to inform anyone about it.
He remembered the previous impeachment
Linas Karalius, who lost the mandate of member of the Seimas a decade ago, considered the same. He was expelled from Seimas in 2010 for traveling to Southeast Asia during sessions, and his colleague Alexander Saharuk voted for him.
The latter maintained his mandate, although the Constitutional Court then recognized that both L. Karalius and A. Sakharuk had broken their oath and seriously violated the Constitution.
Recalling the accusation of these former politicians, V.Ąžuolas told Lietuvos Rytas that, although he is now in Lithuania and could participate in a remote session of the Seimas, he does not do so intentionally: “I don’t want anyone to doubt that someone else is voting. for me.
I don’t want to be accused of doing this as L. King. “
A MP who has not registered for Tuesday’s session continues to promise to do so unless the Seimas board grants him the right to sit in the parliament hall.
By the way, in protest at the board’s decision to continue to meet remotely, opposition representatives are considering the possibility of electing the Seimas meeting room on Thursday and working there.
Do not regret the trip
It is true that if it were suddenly possible to meet live, V.Ąžuolas would not be able to participate in such meetings at least this week; people returning from abroad must be isolated for a week.
The farmer is isolated at his home in Akmenė district. In Egypt, a highly respected politician told Lietuvos Rytas that he would not regret his behavior, because last Wednesday in the Seimas session there was not only him, but also several dozen other parliamentarians.
However, the Seimas database indicates that only four MPs did not attend the session that day, in addition to V.Ąžuolas, P. Gražulis, the liberal Virgilijus Alekna and the conservative leader Gabrielius Landsbergis were not present. The latter visited Tallinn.
Happy surprise
V.Ąžuolas himself assured that he did not plan to go to Egypt, it was the idea of a wife.
“It just came to our attention then. There were three surprises when she announced that she was pregnant,” said a Seimas member who was raising three children when asked how often the wife arranged surprises for him. He added that the trip to Egypt was extremely unexpected.
Despite the inconvenience caused by the trip, the politician told his wife that he was not angry: “I am very happy with that surprise.
Only my wife survives reading that I am in danger of being accused of being expelled from the Seimas. “
The farmer also does not believe that there is no suitable time for such a trip due to the valid quarantine in Lithuania.
“I would understand if the walls were closed and no one could go anywhere, and I would fly in a private plane.
Then it would be wrong. But after all, planes are full, people travel. Some rest in Palanga, others in other places. I did not violate any rules while traveling, I tried before I left, “taught V.Ąžuolas.
The grades are different
In the Budget and Finance Committee of the Seimas, to whose members V.Ąžuolas revealed what images he sees through the windows of the tourist hotel Sharm I Sheikh during a remote meeting, the actions of the colleague are evaluated differently.
The head of the commission, the conservative Mykolas Majauskas, said he was awaiting the decision of the Seimas ethics guards: “I think the commission will evaluate how to act in this situation.”
Vytautas Gapšys, a member of the committee belonging to the “worker” faction of the Seimas, believes that V.uožuolas did not assess all the circumstances: “It is clear that he acted irresponsibly, because the Seimas sessions have just started. Surprisingly, the colleague’s spouse doesn’t know yet. My wife, if she were given a similar surprise, she would take it into account. “
It is true that V.Gapšys does not believe that V.Ąžuolis could face impeachment due to the absence of the meeting, which the peasant will probably pay by deducting part of his salary for his absence.
At the time, Mantas Maldeikis, a conservative member of the Budget and Finance Committee, has a different opinion: he agrees with the considerations that a peasant may have violated the Constitution.
“V.Ąžuolas’s wife should have known when the Seimas session would begin, and one should not cover up the fact that someone had done it before.
The farmer says that the family is more important to him. It is important to everyone, but it does not interfere with each other. And if you interfere, you should leave the Seimas. For some reason, others manage to reconcile work and family. V.Ąžuolas should not cover himself with the decisions of his wife or his family and hide his unwillingness to work, “said M. Maldeikis.
