The LRT Investigations Department reported that events organised by the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP) are also taking place at Raudondvaris Manor.
However, an analysis of the institution’s public procurement records revealed not a single published lease agreement with the LSDP, although agreements with other political parties, such as the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), are published.
As reported by the district council on Friday, its mayor, Valerijus Makūnas, has asked the relevant authorities to assess the circumstances that have come to light and determine whether the law was breached during the procurement process.
Pending the investigation, Kotryna Inga Morkūnaitė, the acting Director of Raudondvaris Manor, and her deputy, Egidijus Morkūnas, have been temporarily suspended from their duties.
According to the local authority, it had not received any information regarding the alleged breaches before the publication of the report. It has undertaken to provide the authorities with all the information and documents necessary for their assessment.
A working group set up by the mayor will also investigate recruitment at Raudondvaris Manor
Valerijus Makūnas, Mayor of Kaunas District Municipality, has issued an order establishing a working group to investigate possible irregularities in the recruitment of staff at Raudondvaris Manor, which is under the municipality’s jurisdiction.
As Edmundas Mališauskas, communications adviser to the Mayor of Kaunas District Municipality, told ELTA, the working group will seek to investigate and identify any possible breaches in staff recruitment.
The working group has been set up in response to information published in the public domain, the circumstances outlined in an investigation by the LRT Investigations Department, and a letter dated 19 August from the Seimas Anti-Corruption Commission. It is headed by Antanas Nesteckis, Deputy Mayor of Kaunas District Municipality, and the group includes specialists from various fields who will assess the recruitment process from the perspectives of law, human resources management and internal audit.
The municipality also stated that it would assess the need for the posts, the candidates’ compliance with requirements, the recording of working hours, the setting of remuneration, the conditions for remote working and potential conflicts of interest.
„The cases of recruitment of individuals mentioned in the public domain and the associated procedures will be assessed: whether there was an objective need for specific posts, how the vacancies were advertised, whether the candidates met the requirements for the posts, who made the decisions regarding their recruitment and remuneration, what duties were defined, and whether work results support their performance,“ said Mališauskas.
The organisation and recording of working hours, remote working conditions, salary setting, and potential conflicts of interest and their management will also be assessed.
The local authority emphasises that the investigation will not be limited to assessments presented in the media – original documents and the actual circumstances will be analysed.
The circumstances surrounding the appointment of Sinkevičienė will also be assessed
The working group will also assess the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Aistė Sinkevičienė, the wife of Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius. She works as a public relations specialist at Raudondvaris Manor.
The working group will examine the need for this post, its defined functions and workload, the organisation of remote working, time recording, the setting of remuneration, and the documentation supporting the work carried out.
The local authority also states that it will assess any possible family ties and political affiliations among staff.
„A family relationship or political affiliation is not in itself a breach. However, the working group will assess whether such connections could have influenced specific recruitment decisions, whether established procedures were followed, and whether any potential conflicts of interest were properly managed,“ said Mališauskas.
According to him, the assessment will be based not on assumptions, but on documents and facts.
The local authority rejects the ‘party patronage’ narrative
The local authority maintains that Raudondvaris Manor is a successfully operating, internationally recognised public institution. It claims that the narrative of „party patronage“ circulating in the public sphere is offensive to the institution’s staff.
According to Mališauskas, the institution employs people with diverse political views, and recruitment is based on staff competence rather than political affiliation. Currently, one member of staff is a member of the Social Democratic Party.
According to the municipality, the duration of the investigation will depend on the recruitment cases under review, the volume of documentation and the need to obtain further information. Once the investigation is complete, the public is to be informed of the key findings.
A separate investigation is also being carried out on the orders of the Director of Administration, Rikteris
Meanwhile, at a meeting of the Kaunas District Anti-Corruption Commission held on Thursday, the Director of the Municipal Administration, Mantas Rikteris, announced that a commission established by his order is investigating possible breaches of the Code of Ethics and Anti-Corruption Conduct involving two municipal administration employees.
Rikteris emphasised that this investigation can only cover employees of the municipal administration.
„Only these two employees belong to the administration level and, as I mentioned, the investigation is being carried out by order of the Director of Administration; it cannot extend to other institutions,“ he said.
ELTA notes that the LRT Investigations Department also reported that Aistė Sinkevičienė, the wife of Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius, not only became head of the Public and International Relations Department at Kaunas District Municipality without a competitive selection process, but also works at Raudondvaris Manor, which is under the municipality’s authority.
It was reported that Ms Sinkevičienė works remotely at the manor as a public relations specialist on a 0.5-time basis. Her contact details are not publicly available, and the institution's deputy director told LRT that she was unaware of such a colleague.
Sinkevičius’s wife has been working at Kaunas District Municipality since 2013. In 2023, upon returning from maternity leave, she became a senior specialist in the Public and International Relations Department, and in July 2024 she was appointed head of the department without a competitive selection process.
Sinkevičienė’s income last year exceeded 73,500 euros. She received approximately a quarter of this sum for her work at Raudondvaris Manor.