nine persons are suspected of embezzling 4 million EUR – part of them from the Lithuanian budget

According to the data of the pre-trial investigation, the suspects may have sought to fraudulently obtain EU and Lithuanian budget funds allocated under the 2014-2020 EU fund investment program measures. It is suspected that individuals used 8 companies, some of which do not carry out any activity, and submitted 4 applications for financing to the Innovation Agency of VšĮ on behalf of two legal entities.

After the approval of the projects, individuals may have acted according to an identical scheme – in order not to contribute to the purchase of equipment with their own funds, they used related companies, simulated mutual transactions and made payments in a circle, thus hiding the real value of the purchase of equipment for the implementation of the projects, artificially raising the prices of the equipment and creating the impression that the projects the executors must contribute to the implementation of the projects with the remaining part of the funds.

By acting in this way, the persons allegedly fraudulently obtained over 3 million. EUR funds, which is possibly more than the cost of the equipment specified in the projects.

During the pre-trial investigation, it was possible to identify the fourth project. By using the same scheme, individuals may have gained almost another 1 million. euros.

In order to gather as much evidence as possible, FNTT officers conducted 40 searches throughout Lithuania. During them, over 20,000 documents and media important for the investigation were taken. EUR cash.

Nine natural persons have been charged with fraud of a very high value, two of them have been arrested, two are under intensive supervision, and the issue of the responsibility of two legal entities is being resolved.

Currently, a temporary restriction of property rights is applied to real estate of suspects and cash funds of natural persons in bank accounts. The value of the restricted property fully covers the security of a potential civil claim. The pre-trial investigation continues.

The Criminal Code stipulates the harshest punishment for fraudulently acquired foreign property of very high value – imprisonment of up to eight years.