VILNIUS — Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas has resigned in the face of protests, taking the decision while under investigation on corruption allegations. President Gitanas Nauseda announced Paluckas’s resignation on Thursday morning, Al Jazeera reported.
Paluckas confirmed his resignation in a statement from the Social Democratic Party. He took office in October last year through a three-party parliamentary coalition. His resignation could bring down the entire government, and his cabinet may also resign. Talks are expected to begin quickly on forming a new coalition government. Paluckas has faced scandals over his business dealings, with some of the deals dating back at least a decade.
Paluckas has faced scandal since being convicted in 2012 of mishandling the tender for a rat-extermination service in the capital, Vilnius. He was accused of failing to pay part of a 16,500-euro fine imposed in that case. Paluckas was director of the Vilnius municipal administration at the time. He was accused of illegally giving advantages to the company that submitted the highest bid. Although he was sentenced to two years in prison, he ultimately did not serve time. Lithuania’s anti-corruption and law-enforcement agencies have also opened an investigation into Paluckas. Paluckas has denied all the allegations against him, calling them maneuvering by the opposition.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report