Top prosecutor to ask Seimas to strip MP Pūkas of immunity

Pūkas applied psychological pressure to his aide and threatened to fire her, and sought sexual contact with other young women to whom he promised jobs, Pašilis said.

“I am asking the Seimas to waive (Pūkas’) immunity so as to bring formal suspicions (against him),” he said.

According to the prosecutor general, the testimonies of four women and information gathered as part of the investigation provide reasonable grounds to suspect that Pūkas between January and February 2017 sexually harassed persons subordinate to him.

According to the material provided by the Prosecutor General’s Office to the Seimas, the lawmaker demanded that his aide perform functions not related to her job in the parliament and threatened to fire her if she refused to do so.

Pūkas also allegedly sexually harassed other women to whom he promised jobs. The prosecutors suspect that the lawmaker, in seeking “sexual contact or satisfaction”, harassed persons subordinate to him by making vulgar actions, suggestions and innuendoes, and hurt their honor and dignity.

The prosecutors also say that Pūkas kept a gun in a safe in his office in the Seimas building, thus failing to ensure its safety.

The Seimas has already launched impeachment proceedings against Pūkas, who was elected to the parliament on the Order and Justice list, over the sexual harassment suspicions and is now waiting for the Constitutional Court to issue its opinion in the process.

The parliament will likely set up a special investigation commission following the prosecutor general’s request for waiver of the immunity of Pūkas.