A handful of Lithuanian MPs hold over €2m in cash – investigation

Asset declarations filed by MPs, their aides and relatives show that a small group of politicians are holding more than €2m in cash. Members of the Nemuno Aušra party appear particularly fond of cash holdings, although six-figure sums are also declared by politicians from other parties., LRT Tyrimų skyrius, LRT.lt, Jūratė Damulytė, Karolis Juršys, 15min.lt, , delfi.lt, Birutė Davidonytė, Ignas Kinčinas, „Redakcija“, Šarūnas Černiauskas, Gabija Kučinskaitė, „Siena“

Parliament has already unsuccessfully attempted to raise the cash payment limit to €15,000. A new proposal would enshrine the right to pay in cash in the Constitution.​However, both law enforcement authorities and leaders of major political parties say large cash holdings lack transparency/​An analysis by journalists from five newsrooms found that just a handful of Nemuno Aušra representatives declared more than €1m in cash last year.​For example, party leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis declared more than €200,000 in cash. A similar amount was declared by Ramūnas Vyžintas, the only Social Democrat on the list.​Large cash holdings are also common in the mixed parliamentary group. Ramūnas Kartenis, an adviser to conservative MP Gintarė Skaistė, also exceeded the €100,000 mark.​According to the State Tax Inspectorate (VMI), anything above €100,000 in cash is considered a warning sign.