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Photo 8Aušrinė Armonaitė, president of the Freedom Party, Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen, president of the Liberal Movement, Gabrielius Landsbergis, president of the National Union of Christian Democrats of Lithuania (TS-LKD). Photo by Marius Morkevičius
“If this happened and this request of the leader of the Liberal Movement Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen were granted, for the first time in the history of Lithuania we would have a case in which one of the highest positions in the country is occupied by a party that has lost the voter confidence and is on trial for corruption, “said Vytautas Bakas.
The parliamentarian recalls that the so-called MG Baltic case of political corruption was transferred to court in April 2018. He filed complaints against three legal persons: the Liberal Movement, currently aspiring to positions in the Government and the Seimas, the Labor Party and the concern MG Baltic. Also for individuals: former leaders of these parties and other members. The Liberal Movement, led by V. Čmilytė-Nielsen after the corruption scandal, is suspected of bribery, influence peddling and abuse. MG Baltic is suspected of bribery of these parties and influence peddling.
According to V. Bakas, the president of the Seimas has broad powers: he appoints a judge of the Constitutional Court and becomes a member of the State Defense Council in office. In the cases provided for in the Constitution, the President of the Seimas holds the position of President of the State, the officials appointed by the Seimas report to him, he appoints the Ombudsman of the Seimas, who, among other things, has exclusive powers to evaluate the legality of intelligence activities. The Speaker of the Seimas can familiarize himself with the secrets of the state and allies, he can grant that right to other members of the Seimas.
According to V. Bakas, if a representative of a party tried for corruption offenses happened to occupy the position of President of Seimas, we should accept that the party tried and its members, and probably the MG Baltic party, which had a significant influence on the party, and would have a direct influence on the appointment of judges and decisions on key national security issues.
The electoral campaign of the Liberal Movement, in which dissatisfaction with the Special Investigation Service was spilled on the party’s social networks, its former leaders were also blamed. Shouldn’t it be a cause for concern that, with more power, members of the Liberal Movement will try to influence law enforcement, take revenge on officials who have exposed the party’s low standards of political ethics and potentially criminal actions?
Ingrida Šimonytė, candidate of the Lithuanian National Christian Democratic Union for the post of Prime Minister, affirms that openness and transparency in politics are one of the most important values for her.
The coalition treaty, signed by the leaders of the majority parties, enshrines a commitment to transparency and the highest standards of political ethics as a commitment of value. According to him, the coalition leaders promise to raise the moral and ethical criteria of their activities on an equal footing with the legal ones, recognizing that only moral reasons are sufficient to take political responsibility. The political culture in the state is promised to strengthen and restore people’s confidence in politics through personal example.
The Treaty requires zero tolerance for corruption. And at the same time, the agreement to grant one of the highest positions in the State to party representatives tried for political corruption.
“In my opinion, such a commitment to transparency and the highest standards of political ethics means that the party on trial cannot only hold the post of President of the Seimas, it cannot even be entrusted with ministerial positions,” says V. Bakas .
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