Rimas Jonas Jankūnas

Jankūnas is divorced and has no spouse; consequently, his asset declarations do not include any spousal or family wealth. (His Seimas biographical profile lists his family status as "išsiskyręs," meaning divorced.)

Rimas Jonas Jankūnas was born on 1967-12-26 in Kaunas, Lithuania.

He is divorced.

He earned a Doctor of Science (PhD) degree on 2002-06-14.

In 1994, Jankūnas graduated from the Kaunas Medical Institute (now Lithuanian University of Health Sciences) as a physician.

He was Director of the Institute of Health Law (Sveikatos teisės institutas, STI) from 2021 until 2024.

From 2003 to 2012, Jankūnas served as Deputy Head of the State Medicines Control Agency (Valstybinė vaistų kontrolės tarnyba).

From 1994 until 2024, Jankūnas worked at the Kaunas Medical Academy (later the Kaunas Medical University, now part of the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences), where he progressed from an assistant to a doctoral student, later a lecturer, and eventually an associate professor (docent).

In 1994–1995, he worked as a sports commentator for the radio station "Tau."

On 2025-11-08, Jankūnas proposed a legal amendment to fine public officials (up to €1,000) for refusing to provide information to journalists without valid justification. He was motivated by numerous instances where information was withheld on spurious grounds, preventing the public from being informed.

On 2025-10-23, Jankūnas submitted amendments to ban the display of erotic advertisements in places accessible to minors (e.g., on public buses).

In September 2025, Jankūnas put forward a proposal to postpone the implementation of the so-called “sugar tax” on sweetened beverages by one year (delaying its start from 2026 to 2027). The sugar tax was part of a tax reform intended to boost defense funding.

On 2025-05-17, he introduced a bill to allow people to reclaim fines paid for violating COVID-19 pandemic restrictions (such as quarantine or mask rules) during 2020–2022.

Jankūnas has been a Member of the Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament) since 19 November 2024.

Since entering Parliament, he has been a member of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union’s parliamentary faction.

In November 2025, he joined the Commission on Freedom Fights and State Historical Memory as a member.

He is a member of the Seimas Commission for the Prevention of Addictions.

He serves on the Seimas Health Affairs Committee as a committee member (since 19 November 2024).

In the 2024 parliamentary elections Jankūnas did not advance to the runoff in the Petrašiūnų–Gričiupio single-member constituency (the first-round leader, TS-LKD candidate Kazys Starkevičius, garnered about 28.7% of the vote). Consequently, Jankūnas entered the Seimas via the LVŽS national party list instead.

He was one of six LVŽS candidates elected to the Seimas via the national multi-member constituency in 2024, as the party received 7.02% of the vote (earning 6 proportional seats).

He was elected to the Seimas in 2024 as a candidate of the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS), via the party’s national list (proportional representation).

In the 2024 parliamentary elections, he ran in the Petrašiūnų–Gričiupio single-member constituency as well as on the LVŽS multi-member list.

He is one of only five current Members of Seimas to declare owning real estate abroad. (The other four MPs with property outside Lithuania are Raimondas Kuodis, Dainoras Bradauskas, Ramūnas Vyžintas, and Ignas Vėgėlė.)

As a rank-and-file Seimas Member (since 2024), Jankūnas earns roughly €4,000 per month after taxes (approximately €6,200 gross) in salary.

Aside from his Spanish apartment (~€123,000) purchased in 2024, Jankūnas has not publicly disclosed any other significant assets or liabilities. His official declarations for 2024–2025 show no substantial debts – he sold a previous flat to fund the Spanish property, and no major wealth beyond that was reported.

In 2024 Jankūnas sold his apartment in Grigiškės (Lithuania) and purchased a flat in Spain for roughly €123,000, which he declared as part of his assets. He explained this move was prompted by dissatisfaction with Lithuania’s government policies.

While serving as Deputy Head of the State Medicines Control Agency (2003–2012), his monthly pay is estimated to have been around €2,000 gross (approximately €1,300 net), based on public-sector salary scales (exact figures were not published).

Jankūnas helped establish the Institute of Health Law (STI) in 2020, originating from a Facebook group of like-minded individuals during the pandemic.

Jankūnas has publicly questioned COVID-19 vaccines, arguing they are "genetic fluids" that do not meet the definition of a vaccine.

He joined an international group of politicians and experts calling to suspend the use of COVID-19 vaccines, even forwarding this appeal to Lithuania’s Prime Minister.

In a 2022 investigation, LRT reported that the Health Law Institute (STI) led by Jankūnas had connections with certain politicians and foreign radical figures, focusing on promoting a specific COVID-19 drug.

As a leader of STI, Jankūnas promoted an anti-parasitic drug (ivermectin) as a “panacea” for COVID-19, even though this drug was not approved for use in Europe at that time.

On 2025-06-02, Jankūnas formally asked Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas who authorized Lithuania to join an EU statement interfering in another country’s internal affairs.

In March 2025, Jankūnas said he admired Donald Trump’s approach to cutting regulations, noting "for one new regulation, ten old ones would be eliminated."

He criticized Lithuania’s foreign policy for alienating countries, quipping in 2025, "why did we quarrel with China, why are we now bristling against America?"

On 2021-04-30, Jankūnas argued that Lithuania’s COVID-19 vaccination strategy should be changed to focus on vaccinating those over 65 (for whom the disease is most dangerous), with younger people vaccinated only in special cases.

He is also part of a parliamentary group advocating the normalization of Lithuania’s diplomatic relations with China (since 25 November 2025).

Jankūnas is a member of the Seimas parliamentary group "Against Mass Immigration," which he joined in December 2024.

He is a member of the Seimas parliamentary group "Against Mass Immigration," which he joined in December 2024.

He has engaged in public outreach to educate society about the effects of medications, the rational use of drugs, healthy lifestyles, and evidence-based health decisions.