The General Prosecutor’s Office upheld the decision of the Special Investigation Service (STT) to refuse to initiate a pre-trial investigation into possible corruption in the national defense system.
As the prosecutor’s office announced on Wednesday, such a decision of the STT is legal and reasonable.
The service informed about the decision to refuse to open an investigation last Thursday.
“After evaluating and collecting the data, it was established that no signs of criminal acts were found in the actions of Seimas member R. (Raimundo – BNS) Lopatas in submitting official letters to the ministry with questions about the public procurement and the actions of a foreign company in inviting representatives of the Ministry of National Defense to meetings,” the prosecutor’s office said.
She also stated that the Ministry of National Defense responded to lobbying actions and the risks of corruption and managed them properly, so there was no reason to report them to the pre-trial investigation authorities.
“This resolution does not prevent the pre-trial investigation institutions or the prosecutor’s office from starting a pre-trial investigation after receiving specific information about possible corruption crimes,” added the prosecutor’s office.
STT started clarifying the circumstances after the former minister of national defense, Arvydas Anušauskas, who submitted his resignation in mid-March, stated that he “had to close the doors to companies” that tried to bribe employees of the national defense system, but these found their way to the Seimas.
A. Anušauskas later tried to soften the tone and specified that with such statements he was raising the issue of undeclared meetings between politicians and lobbyists.
In clarifying the information regarding possible corruption in the national defense system, STT interviewed A. Anušauskas and Deputy Minister Vilias Semeškas, current Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas, Minister of Economy and Innovation Aušrina Armonaitė, Liberal Member of the Seimas Raimundas Lopatas as witnesses.
Due to this situation, the work of the National Security and Defense Committee of the Seimas (NSGK) is currently not being carried out. If the opposition does not participate in the NSGK meetings, the committee cannot elect a new chairman. This position became vacant when the former head of the committee, L. Kasčiūnas, was appointed as the Minister of National Defense by the President.
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Topic “Business Environment”
Tags: Prosecutors Office decision STT investigate corruption National Guard justified
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