MP Vytautas Bakas of the Democrats For Lithuania, chair of the ad hoc commission, urged his colleagues to assess the situation not from “headlines or speculation.” The MP said that in response to the criticism of his commission’s conclusions as damaging critical institutions.
“There has been so much speculation about whether the Seimas is undermining institutions. References to war, struggle and so on are emerging. I invite you to take a step back from the headlines and speculation and look at the role of the Seimas in the state,” he spoke.
According to Bakas, the refusal of the institutions involved to provide the commission with part of the requested material creates a dangerous precedent limiting part of the constitutional powers of the Parliament.
He also called on MPs to read closely the detailed conclusion of the investigation and the material that has remained classified before the next parliamentary session in the special registry.
In end-October 2023, the Parliament set up the ad hoc commission to establish whether the State Security Department (VSD) lawfully collected information about 2019 presidential candidates and campaign staff in response to a whistleblower’s report.
The commission says it found that VSD Director Darius Jauniškis assisted President Gitanas Nausėda in his election campaign by collecting information on his inner circle.