Embassy paid for president and ambassador’s dinner in London

The Chief Official Ethics Commission (VTEK) has established that President Gitanas Nausėda and Ambassador of Lithuania to the United Kingdom Eitvydas Bajarūnas mixed private and public interests as their visit to the Royal Opera House in May 2023 was private but paid for by the embassy. The media has discovered since then that the embassy paid not only for opera tickets but also for a dinner of four.

According to the news website delfi.lt, five opera tickets were acquired in total for the president, the ambassador and their spouses. It is presumed that the fifth one, for EUR 204, was meant for one of the president’s bodyguards

It has transpired that the embassy also covered a “hospitality package” for four people, costing EUR 362 per person. This includes a glass of champagne and a two-course meal in one of London’s restaurants.

As reported earlier, ethics watchdogs have determined that President Nausėda used his status and position for personal gain, i.e., to obtain tickets for a performance. The tickets for the president and his wife also constitute an unlawful gift, the acceptance of which is prohibited by the law.

The visit to the opera by the president, the ambassador and their wives was paid for by the Embassy of Lithuania in the UK and, according to the VTEK, cost over EUR 1,600. Four months later, Bajarūnas compensated the expenses from his personal funds.