A total of 102 MPs voted in favour, one against and two abstained.
In his address before the vote, Skvernelis, who was prime minister in 2016–2020, urged MPs to lift his legal immunity, saying it would allow him to defend himself in the case.
“This vote is important to give me the right to actively defend myself through legal means,” he told the Seimas, calling the step “inevitable”.
Skvernelis said he already felt “judged” in the public eye despite not being formally named a suspect.
“I stand before you not even as a suspect, but I am already seen as one – accused and convicted,” he said.
The former leader of the Democrats for Lithuania party also reiterated that this was the end of his political career.
“My political career is over (…) not today, but on 9 February (refers to searches at his office and home – ELTA). After such actions, it is difficult, perhaps impossible, to recover politically,” he said, adding he had entered and was now leaving politics “unexpectedly”.
Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė told the Parliament earlier this week that Skvernelis is suspected of accepting at least EUR 51,000 in bribes in a large-scale corruption case linked to the State Plant Service under the Agriculture Ministry.
Skvernelis agreed to a simplified procedure for lifting his immunity but denied any wrongdoing.
