The Special Investigation Service (STT) carries out the pre-trial investigation controlled by the Prosecutor General's Office into suspected corruption in the State Food and Veterinary Service (SFVS), when the representatives of the SFVS, who were possibly acting in the organised group with other persons, demanded bribes from business entities.
During the pre-trial investigation, the circumstances regarding possible bribery, kickbacks, trading in influence, complicity while acting as an organised group are investigated. Allegation of bribery, while acting as an organised group, were brought against 4 persons: Mantas Staškevičius, Director of the SFVS, Sigitas Siriukaitis, Head of the Department of Veterinary Medicines and Feed, who resides in Kaunas, Arūnas Teišerskis, Director of Šiauliai Department of the SFVS, and H.M., former Head of Raseiniai Division of Kaunas Department of the SFVS.
According to the data of the pre-trial investigation, the said persons, acting as an organised group, have possibly created a criminal corrupt scheme, that is, each month, they demanded and accepted bribes from business entities, by threatening them that they will be banned from selling products on the Lithuanian market or that, even, the operation of their companies will be suspended.
On Sunday, all 4 suspects were arrested. Mantas Staškevičius, Director of the SFVS, and Sigitas Siriukaitis, Head of the Department of Veterinary Medicines and Feed, who resides in Kaunas, were arrested during the alleged crime - possible transfer and acceptance of a bribe. In order to collect data, that are of significance to the investigation, searches were conducted at the places of residence and work of the suspects, as well as in other places that are of significance to the investigation, and in the SFVS of Vilnius and Šiauliai. During the searches, more than 300,000 EUR in cash were found with the suspected civil servants and their family members.
“A corrupt scheme, where the institution, which is responsible for state food and veterinary control, supervision and control of farmed animals breeding throughout the territory of the country, is possibly systematically demanding bribes from business entities, is being investigated. We are asking anyone, who may have information relevant to this investigation, to get in touch with the Central Investigation Board of the STT or the Prosecutor General's Office“, – says Darius Balčiūnas, Head of the Central Investigation Board of the STT.
“A person may be exempted from criminal liability for kickbacks if he, who was demanded to give a bribe or was provoked to give a bribe and he himself or through an intermediary, directly or indirectly, offered or promised to give or gave a bribe, voluntarily reported this to the law enforcement authority within the shortest possible time, but not later than until he is recognized as a suspect “, – emphasized Artūras Urbelis, Chief Prosecutor of the Organised Crime and Corruption Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
In accordance with the principle of the presumption of innocence, persons are considered innocent until proven guilty by a court.
This pre-trial investigation is carried out by the officers of the Central Investigation Board and of Šiauliai Board of the STT. The investigation is controlled and led by the prosecutors of the Organised Crime and Corruption Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
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General information of the STT and of the Prosecutor General’s Office
