The Ethics Commission of the Seimas has started an investigation into J. Džiugel’s expenses for the preparation of reports

The commission started the investigation at the request of J. Džiugelis himself, following the parliamentarian received criticism for having paid 23,000 to gambling business lobbyist Mindaugas Ardišauskas from the funds allocated for parliamentary activities. euros for the preparation of the reports of the member of the Seimas.

After the public figure Andriis Tapinas with the initiative “Skaidrina” announced regarding the funds paid by MP M. Ardišauskas, the relations of the MP with the lobbyist began to be examined in the context of the conflict of interests. The Seimas Anticorruption Commission is also investigating the situation on Wednesday.

When doubts arose regarding his connections with the gambling business, J. Džiugelis announced that he had agreed with Radvila Morkūnaite-Mikulėniene, an elder of the faction of the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), that he would not head the Social Affairs and Labor Committee (SRDK).

The statute of the Seimas does not provide for the possibility for the head of the committee to suspend his activities while performing his duties in the parliament, and the politician himself, when asked if he will withdraw from the committee heads once and for all, claimed that “the decisions will probably emerge in the spring session”

In an interview published by the news portal “15min” on Monday, Mr. Ardišauskas confirmed that he consulted the National Gambling and Gaming Business Association at the same time as he provided services to the MP.

M. Ardišauskas, who advised J. Džiugel on communication issues for three years, became the head of the Responsible Gambling Business Association in February of this year.

J. Džiugelis has submitted amendments regarding the regulation of gambling, examined gambling-related issues in the committee he leads. One such amendment is proposed to allow gambling only from the age of 21. The age limit for gamblers is now 18, and for casinos – 21.

With other amendments, J. Džiugelis proposes to apply not only fines, but also imprisonment of up to four years for illegally organized gambling and exhortation to gamble from July 2024.