Prevention of corruption

Corruption – the direct or indirect pursuit, demand or acceptance by a public official or a person equivalent to a public official of financial or other personal gain (gifts, services, promises, privileges) for themselves or another person for performing or not performing actions in accordance with their duties, as well as actions or inaction by a civil servant or a person equivalent to a civil servant with the aim of by demanding or accepting material or other personal benefits for oneself or another person, as well as the direct or indirect offering or granting of material or other personal benefits (gifts, services, promises, privileges) to a civil servant or a person equivalent to a civil servant for the performance or non-performance of actions in accordance with the duties of a civil servant or a person equivalent to a civil servant, as well as mediation in the commission of the acts referred to in this part.

The objective of corruption prevention is to ensure that the activities of state and municipal institutions and business enterprises are impartial and transparent.

(source: https://www.stt.lt/korupcijos-prevencija/7439)

Legislation:

Law on Corruption Prevention of the Republic of Lithuania

Resolution on the approval of the national agenda for corruption prevention for 2022-2033

Lithuanian Corruption Map 2022/2023

Palanga City Municipality Corruption Prevention Program for 2021–2023

National Anti-Corruption Program of the Republic of Lithuania for 2015–2025

Responsibility for corruption-related violations of the law:

Responsibility for established criminal acts of a corrupt nature is established by the Criminal Code of the Republic of Lithuania: bribery (Article 225), bribery (Article 227), abuse of official position (Article 228).
Giving a bribe (bribery) not only violates the established order of governance, but also violates the principle of equality of persons before the law, as in such a case a specific person unlawfully gains an advantage over other persons. The Criminal Code (CC) states that accepting a bribe is punishable more severely than giving one. Article 225 of the CC provides that a person who accepts a bribe “shall be punished by deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities, or by imprisonment for up to four years,” while a person who gives a bribe “shall be punished by restriction of liberty, a fine, arrest, or imprisonment for up to two years” (Article 227 of the CC).

A person shall be exempt from criminal liability for bribery only if the bribe was demanded or provoked and the person who offered, promised or gave the bribe reported this to the law enforcement authorities before being notified of the suspicion, or if he offered, promised or gave the bribe with the knowledge of the law enforcement authorities.

Citizens can report possible cases of corruption observed at the Palanga Tourist Information Center:

1. To the director of the Tourism Information Center by email rasa.kmitiene@visit-palanga.lt and/or by phone (8 460) 48822.
2. The Special Investigation Service (STT) by email at pranesk@stt.lt and/or the 24-hour hotline at (8 5) 266 3333. You can also leave a message on the STT website by selecting the link “report corruption/leave a message here” or by clicking on the moving information panel “You can reduce corruption.”
3. Palanga City Municipality by email antikorupcija@palanga.lt and/or by calling the hotline (8 460) 51 502, which operates 24 hours a day (leave a message on the answering machine).
4. The person responsible for the prevention and control of corruption is Tourism Manager Aušra Stankevičienė (8 460) 48811, e-mail ausra.stankeviciene@visit-palanga.lt

Positions at the Palanga Tourism Information Center for which information about the applicant is collected (in accordance with the provisions of Article 15 of the Law on Corruption Prevention of the Republic of Lithuania):