Butkevičius told BNS on Wednesday night that the decision on Gapšys was not unexpected for him but he was surprised over Speaker of the Seimas Vydas Gedvilas' decision to step down as well.
"We talked with Viktor Uspaskich (elder of the Labor Party's political group in the Seimas – BNS) and Vytautas Gapšys in my office today. It was agreed during the conversation that Gapšys would step down but there was no conversation about Gedvilas resigning in solidarity. Immediately after the (Council – BNS) meeting, they called me directly ahead of the announcement and informed me," the prime minister told BNS.
Butkevičius welcomed the Labor members' decision.
"I am really pleased with the achieved result and I believe that perhaps the resignation could have happened a bit earlier. (...) I think that we have probably spent too much time on public disputes and talking about it. I believe an important step has been made," the prime minister said.
On Thursday, the Seimas was scheduled to hold a no-confidence vote against Gapšys, initiated by the opposition and motivated by the fact that Vilnius Regional Court had found Gapšys guilty of fraud in the Labor Party's fraudulent bookkeeping case. He was fined 35,750 litas (EUR 10,356). The sentence has not come into force yet as Gpapšys appealed.
