VILNIUS – The Seimas Commission on Ethics and Procedures has acknowledged this week that MP Petras Grazulis, a member of the opposition Lithuanian Regions political group, has voted instead of a fellow opposition MP, Social Democrat Linas Jonauskas, and has submitted its findings to the board of the Lithuanian parliament for consideration.
As established by the Commission, Grazulis voted instead of MP Jonauskas in mid-September thus violating the Statute of the Seimas and the principle of fairness enshrined in the Code of Conduct for State Politicians.
According to the data available to the Commission, Grazulis committed the infringement during voting on the Seimas’ fall session program. The MP himself said that “when you vote a hundred of times during the day, you cannot remember” what happened half a year ago.
Andrius Bagdonas, deputy chair of the Commission, told BNS that Grazulis had sent an explanation letter to the Commission, which said that he regretted that he might have possibly voted instead of a fellow MP, and offered an apology.
MP Jonauskas claimed that he had not asked Grazulis to vote in his place.
Jurgis Razma, first deputy speaker of the Seimas, said that such an infringement might lead to impeachment proceedings initiated against the infringing MP.
Grazulis may also face impeachment proceedings due to his conviction in a case of abuse of office, in which Lithuania's Court of Appeal upheld a lower instance court's decision to impose a fine of 15,000 euros on the MP earlier this year. The impeachment motion has not been brought pending the decision of the Supreme Court as the court of final instance.
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