the prosecutor clarified the charges in preparation for the closing arguments

Prosecutor Gitana Kaupė specified the charges brought against the scandalous couple during the closed session.

It is true that G. Kaupė did not tell the portal lrytas.lt what exactly was specified.

“During the process, more precise circumstances that were not clear before became clear. The essence of the accusations remains the same, according to the same articles of the Criminal Code,” said the prosecutor.

All the witnesses in the case have already been interviewed – an officer of the State Border Guard Service, employees of the childcare institution “Pastogė” belonging to the municipality of Kaunas and other persons gave their statements.

The next hearing should take place on June 5 – during which it is planned to publicize the case materials and proceed to closing speeches.

Spouses who do not admit their guilt are also already questioned. According to M. Vilčinskas, such a trial should not take place at all.

There is a chase at the border

Last summer, the Vilčinskas became famous throughout Lithuania, when a criminal case was brought against them for the kidnapping of children from the “Pastogė”.

The spouses were detained on the evening of August 1, 2023, near the border of Belarus, trying to smuggle their children to this country illegally.

An attempt was made to escape from the border guards with a Ford Focus car, driving at a speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour.

The Vilčinskas were charged with not only child abduction, but also an attempt to illegally cross the state border.

On August 24, 2023, the Kaunas District Court imposed a 60-day conditional arrest in this case by a criminal order on August 24.

They initially accepted the sentence, but later changed their minds, demanding a trial in court, which is still ongoing.

Children – brought back

The Vilčinskas are involved in several court proceedings.

The current criminal case is being examined despite the fact that at the end of January 2024, in another, civil case, it was decided to return all three children to the couple: the Kaunas District Court decided to annul the decision of the Kaunas District Court, according to which the State Adoption and Child Rights Protection Service was allowed to take from Vilčinskė, their three young children, who were soon placed in the foster care institution “Pastogė”.

After the decision of the Kaunas District Court, the aforementioned service decided to return the children to their parents.

The prosecutor’s office supports the charges, because the Vilčinskas committed the criminal acts they are accused of when certain legal restrictions were applied to them, which, according to the officials, they violated.

Lost in the legal paragraphs

The decision of the Kaunas District Court, which allowed the children to be taken by Vilčinskäs, was annulled purely for formal reasons.

It turns out that the service that takes care of the children’s rights had to first take them from Vilčinskai itself, and only after that, no later than within 5 working days, apply to the court for permission to take the children.

However, the opposite was done – the court was approached first, and only after that, according to its decision, all three minors were taken.

This was enough for the children to be returned.

The parents’ behavior is shocking

Judging from the official material relied on by the Kaunas district court that sanctioned the abduction of the minors, the Vilčinskas did not create conditions for their children to socialize at all, and this included not only not allowing them to go to school.

The attitude of the parents towards raising their children and other matters was really shocking: the family, at least until relatively recently, did not have valid identity documents, without which access to treatment, education, travel abroad and many other services is much more difficult for the children.

Spouses previously claimed that they do not recognize either Lithuania or the legal acts in force there.

The “Sovereign” community, with which the Vilčinskas are associated, is, according to the State Security Department, an anti-state extremist organization that denies the legitimacy of the state.

The members of this organization are convinced that they may not fulfill the duties of the residents established by law.

He also behaved strangely in court

M. Vilčinskas, who calls himself a “free, living man”, had renounced his Lithuanian citizenship.

In his opinion, the compulsory education of children is their training.

The Vilčinskas came to one session of the Kaunas district court with their dog, and when writing letters to the same court, they added the “Vilčinskė community” contract with certain “rates”: for example, the first minute spent costs no less than a kilogram of “999” fine gold, and the prepared 10 sheet volume document – 100 kilograms of gold.

Saw positive changes

It is true that defenders of children’s rights have recently seen positive changes in cooperation with the Vilčinskas.

“It is important to note that recently the family cooperated with the case manager, social worker, other specialists providing services – accepted help and made efforts to achieve changes in the family.

Services to the family during case management can continue to be provided as long as they are needed,” Anželika Vežbavičiūtė, the head of the Kaunas City Department of the State Child Rights Protection and Adoption Service, told the lrytas.lt portal some time ago.