Half a million in fraud: law enforcement announced what they are investigating in the case of V. Uspaskich

Half a million in fraud

As FNTT announced on Friday, the circumstances surrounding more than 500,000 the possible acquisition of European Union (EU) budget funds in the amount of euros by fraud, as suspected, by not performing, not performing and imitating the work functions of MEP assistants, with the aim of fraudulently obtaining wages and unemployment benefits.

It is reported that the investigation is related to the former assistant of the member of the EP from Lithuania. From the data presented, it can be assumed that we are talking about MEP Viktoras Uspaskich.

Suspicions have been brought against one person, the European Prosecutor’s Office informed BNS that it is a former assistant to a member of the EP. His identity has not been released.

On Thursday, the District Court of the City of Vilnius fully granted this request and set a two-month application deadline. Also, the prosecutor’s decision applies temporary measures to limit the right to ownership.

It is announced that the funds were fraudulently obtained in 2014-2020.

V. Uspaskich suspended his membership, removed from the list of EP elections

As reported by FNTT, on March 26-28, searches were carried out at the residences of natural persons, as well as at the former workplace of persons possibly related to the crime – the headquarters of the Labor Party, interviews of participants in the process, including witnesses, and other large-scale process actions are still being carried out.

The pre-trial investigation is organized and managed by the Office of the European Delegated Prosecutors in Lithuania, and it is carried out by the FNTT in cooperation with the European Anti-Fraud Office.

On Tuesday, law enforcement performed procedural actions at the headquarters of the Labor Party, the investigation is controlled by European Delegated Prosecutor Vytautas Kukaitis.

Labor Party leader Andrius Mazuronis said on Wednesday that the investigation is related to the activities of the former party leadership in the EP. The only representative of the Labor Party in the EP is its founder, honorary chairman V. Uspaskich.

The Labor leader said the investigation did not involve “anyone in the current leadership of the party or any person currently holding any position in the party”.

He did not name V. Uspaskich, but indirectly let it be understood that the investigation is being conducted on the activities of the founder of the party. V. Uspaskich announced that he was suspending his membership in the Labor Party. He will also no longer lead the Labor Party list in the European Parliament elections.