The geopolitical situation, emerging threats to national security and developments taking place in Lithuania in 2025 also had an impact on the activities of the Special Investigation Service (STT). In building an environment resistant to corruption, greater attention was paid to the importance of political leadership, while criminal investigations focused on systemic corruption offences. In the area of anti-corruption education, efforts continued to develop a sustainable system enabling the values of transparency and integrity to be consistently integrated into education and the strengthening of the public sector. Meanwhile, analytical anti-corruption intelligence focused on projects of significance to national security, including the analysis of potentially high-risk links involving suppliers.
“2025 demonstrated that by working together, we can achieve results that help bring about change and make Lithuania stronger and safer. The development of Strategic Anti-Corruption Guidelines, data-driven anti-corruption recommendations, new platforms for dialogue, strengthened analytical anti-corruption intelligence, the launch of large-scale investigations and the initiation of a benefits package for transparent businesses are just some of the measures aimed at preventing corruption before it occurs and becomes a burden on the state. Much has been accomplished, and this work provides a solid foundation for continued focused and professional action, based on clear operating principles and public support. In 2026, our common objective remains unchanged: to reduce corruption risks and ensure that there is no room for corruption in our country,” said Linas Pernavas, Director of the STT.
STT investigation results significantly exceeded the national average
In 2025, the STT’s criminal prosecution activities focused on investigating complex, systemic and high-impact corruption offences, including the launch of an investigation into suspected organised corrupt activity at the State Plant Service. Despite the complexity of the cases and the broad range of sectors under investigation, the effectiveness of STT pre-trial investigations remained exceptionally high. The proportion of criminal offences successfully investigated among all offences for which investigations were completed during the reporting period was approximately one and a half times higher than the corresponding overall figure for Lithuania: 63% for the STT compared with almost 46% nationwide.
This is also reflected in several significant pre-trial investigations completed in 2025, including cases involving manifestations of international corruption in a wind farm construction project, an investigation into the actions of the Mayor of Šiauliai, and the high-profile case involving the State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS). Another significant indicator is the amount of fines imposed by courts in cases investigated by the STT, which totalled EUR 1.8 million in 2025.
Empowering political leadership in managing corruption risks
In 2025, the STT’s corruption prevention efforts focused on strengthening political leadership as a key prerequisite for the effective management of corruption risks. To this end, Strategic Anti-Corruption Guidelines were developed and presented to the Prime Minister and Government ministers. They became not only an information tool but also a practical platform for dialogue, strengthening cooperation between the STT and the Government and contributing to faster decision-making at the political level. This initiative is also being consistently expanded at the municipal level, with the aim of developing a common anti-corruption approach at both national and local levels.
As in previous years, anti-corruption assessments of legislation and corruption risk analyses remained an important part of corruption prevention activities in 2025. Of the 461 observations submitted regarding identified corruption risk factors, as many as 66% were classified as critical, meaning that they directly created or could create conditions conducive to corruption.
Considerable attention was also devoted to transparency in business. In order to strengthen the competitiveness of businesses operating with integrity, a proposal was initiated to develop a package of benefits for companies implementing corruption prevention measures.
Managing corruption risks in the context of national security and ensuring personnel reliability
In 2025, analytical anti-corruption intelligence was specifically focused on identifying risks relevant to national security. In cooperation with the prosecution service and other institutions, the STT identified suppliers and legal entities linked to them through management and control relationships that had connections with a legal entity convicted of corruption-related criminal offences. Cases involving their participation in public procurement and public-private partnership processes were also identified. This information enabled timely decisions to exclude high-risk suppliers from infrastructure projects of significance to national security.
In implementing the measure for creating a corruption-resistant environment established by the Law on Prevention of Corruption — ensuring personnel reliability — the STT provided information to support well-founded and reasoned decisions concerning appointments to positions, the allocation of areas of responsibility, refusals to appoint, dismissals from office, and other decisions related to staffing within public-sector entities. In 2025, information necessary for managing personnel reliability risks was provided to 625 public-sector entities in relation to 5,231 individuals.
Developing and implementing tools for independent integrity education
In 2025, efforts to raise anti-corruption awareness were based not on isolated initiatives but on a long-term, systemic approach aimed at making the values of transparency and integrity a natural part of education and public life. In the field of anti-corruption education, priority was given to creating a sustainable system by empowering teachers and providing practical tools that enable these values to be consistently integrated into everyday school activities. Efforts also focused on strengthening the anti-corruption environment in the public sector through the initiatives of the “Transparency Academy”.
This consistent work is also reflected in the significant growth of the STT’s online training programme. In 2025, 75,800 people completed e-learning courses and received certificates — 214% more than in 2024.
The importance of anti-corruption awareness and corruption prevention was also reinforced at the highest political level. For the first time, the “Transparency Dialogue” brought toge
International Anti-Corruption Leadership
International cooperation remained an important area of STT activity in 2025. Active engagement at the international level not only enabled the exchange and adoption of good practices, but also allowed the STT to contribute actively to shaping the anti-corruption agenda in Europe.
The STT’s consistent involvement in the activities of the European Partners against Corruption / European contact-point network against corruption (EPAC/EACN) and the OECD Anti-Corruption Network for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ACN) strengthened Lithuania’s position as a leader in transparency and international cooperation and enabled it to contribute to the development of joint solutions at the international level.
ther national leaders and international partners, who unanimously agreed that transparency and an anti-corruption environment must remain a permanent political priority across all areas of governance.
You can find the full report here.
Key facts are available here.
