Lithuanian VRK finds Nemuno aušra violated election financing laws

The Central Electoral Commission (VRK) has determined that the political party ‘Nemuno aušra’ and its leader, Remigijus Žemaitaitis, committed serious violations of the Election Code and the Law on Political Organizations during the 2024 Seimas and presidential elections.

Investigations revealed that the party’s parliamentary campaign was funded through illegal channels, including donations from legal entities and third parties. Specifically, the VRK found that Robertas Puchovičius, the party’s deputy chairman and election campaign manager, acted as an intermediary to transfer €24,200 from the companies ‘Tvari statyba’ and ‘Lajota’ to the party. Additionally, €4,500 from ‘Tvari statyba’ was funneled to Remigijus Žemaitaitis’s presidential campaign through Puchovičius.

The investigation also uncovered that €4,300 in membership fees were paid using funds derived from legal entities via third parties. This included payments from Eva Puchovič, who used funds from ‘Tvari statyba’ received from her husband, and Edvardas Puchovičius, who paid fees using funds provided by his son, Robertas Puchovičius.

The VRK working group has proposed recognizing these actions as gross violations of the law, noting that the financing was essentially provided by legal entities rather than individual donors.