Saulius Skvernelis

Saulius Skvernelis, a former prime minister and speaker of the Seimas, is currently the subject of a major ongoing bribery investigation. In 2026, Lithuanian prosecutors formally charged Skvernelis with bribery under Article 225, Paragraph 3 of the Criminal Code. Authorities allege he accepted at least 51,000 euros in cash bribes between June and November 2025 in exchange for political favoritism toward the State Plant Service. Prosecutors claim the payments were delivered by his former aide, Agnė Silickienė, and that Skvernelis was recorded in criminal ledgers under the alias Krabas (Crab). He denies these allegations, asserting he neither negotiated nor accepted money. His parliamentary immunity was lifted in 2026 following his own request to facilitate a legal defense. The broader investigation involves 16 suspects and allegations that an organized group collected over 1.1 million euros in bribes to bypass phytosanitary inspections. Separately, in 2019, Skvernelis faced accusations regarding allegedly preferential treatment and concessions granted to the Polish oil company Orlen Lietuva. Critics questioned the transparency of his meetings with Polish officials, though he defended these actions as beneficial to Lithuania and denied any wrongdoing.