The Royal Palace opened briefly to the public in June, only to close again because the building is not yet complete. Photo by Nathan Greenhalgh.

VILNIUS — Lithuania’s Royal Palace will not be completed next year because of proposed cuts to its construction budget.

The project, which went from being a millennium celebration to a wasteful extravagance as the crisis strangles government finances, has cost far more than originally planned and has now become embroiled in a corruption scandal.

The finance minister confirmed that there would not be enough money to complete the building in 2010. The building was supposed to be completed by King Mindaugas Coronation Day on June 6 this year.

Just 12 million litai (€3.48 million) will be left in the budget after parliament made a recommendation that 5 million litai (€1.4 million) should be pulled from the project’s coffers.

The amount will be enough to stop the unfinished structure from falling apart, but won’t be enough for completion.

Since 1995, 200 million litai (€57.9 million) has been spent on constructing the replica of the former seat of power of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, located behind the Vilnius Cathedral. The original was demolished by Tsarist Russia in 1801 after Lithuania had been partitioned. It’s estimated that another 150 million litas (€43.4 million) is needed to finish construction.

The Lithuanian media has been in an uproar this week that 70 workers are on the payroll of the palace, despite it being closed.

The culture ministry has confirmed that the workers earn an average of 1,800 litai a month. The director of the palace denied that there had been any wrongdoing saying that the workers were in place for events and educational purposes.

It is estimated that the palace will need 150 employees when it is finished. There are no plans however to take on extra employees at the moment, as the lack of funding has turned the symbol of national renewal into a white albatross around the neck.