Lithuania’s election watchdog finds grave funding violations by Nemunas Dawn

Lithuania’s Central Electoral Commission announced on Thursday that the Nemunas Dawn political party and its leader, Remigijus Žemaitaitis, violated election laws during their 2024 parliamentary and presidential campaigns. The commission determined that the party received corporate donations and used intermediaries to channel funds, both of which are prohibited under Lithuanian election regulations. The ruling was not unanimous among members of the commission. According to the commission's findings, the parliamentary campaign of Nemunas Dawn was funded with contributions from two businesses, Tvari Statyba and Lajota, via a third-party individual named Robertas Puchovičius. Additionally, Žemaitaitis’ presidential campaign received prohibited funding through similar channels. A total of 24,200 euros was transferred to the party from these companies, with an additional 4,500 euros funneled through Puchovičius to Žemaitaitis’ campaign. Corporate donations are explicitly banned by Lithuania’s election code, and there are strict limits on individual contributions. The commission also identified Puchovičius as acting as an intermediary in the flow of these funds. In a related case, Aleksandras Fursas provided money through an intermediary, while Lina Šukytė-Korsakė transferred 5,000 euros she received from Fursas to Žemaitaitis’ campaign, claiming it was her own donation. The commission further discovered that party membership fees were improperly sourced. Paulius Kazilionis paid 300 euros in membership fees using funds received from Puchovičius, while Puchovičius’ family members, his father, Edvardas, and his wife, Eva, paid 2,500 euros and 1,500 euros, respectively, from money originating with Puchovičius. As a consequence, the commission ordered Žemaitaitis to repay 9,500 euros in illegally obtained campaign funds into the state budget within 20 working days. A separate order requiring Nemunas Dawn to return 28,500 euros was delayed until a final decision on state funding for political parties is made. The commission intends to inform the Special Investigation Service and the Prosecutor General’s Office about the violations. Žemaitaitis could face a loss of state funding for up to two years, though this decision will be reviewed in the autumn. Nemunas Dawn and Puchovičius have disputed the findings, asserting that the money from the companies belonged to Puchovičius personally. Puchovičius claimed he had previously transferred over 50,000 euros of his own money to one of the companies and later withdrew about a third of it for personal and political uses. He explained that he routinely deposited unused personal funds into his companies instead of leaving them idle. “All the money was working, and if I had spare money [...] it went back to the company,” he stated during a commission hearing. He added that he later decided to withdraw the money because it was his own, tax-paid funds and intended to use part of it for his political campaign. The commission rejected these arguments, stating that the explanations and documents provided by the companies did not change its conclusions. Its findings were based on detailed analysis of bank transactions, transfer amounts and timing, account balances, and the status of individuals involved. This is the second major financial violation involving Nemunas Dawn. Earlier in March, the commission ruled that the party had misused state funds by renting cars for Žemaitaitis and another party member, resulting in the denial of 241,800 euros in state funding for the first half of the year.