Businesses in Lithuania ‘demonized’, ‘ criminalized’ – MG Baltic’s ex-exec in court

“I do not understand the charges and, therefore, I cannot express any position as to my guilt,” Kurlianskis, who is charged with influence peddling and bribery, told the court.

However, the defendant said shortly afterwards that he was convinced that he had not committed any crimes.

“I was and I am convinced that a business as a generator of taxes to the state has to interact with politicians. Lately, businesses have been consistently demonized and artificially criminalized,” he said.

Kurlianskis said that he was wrongly identified in the indictment as MG Baltic’s vice-president, a post he had never formally held.

Related Post

“As a natural person, I could not represent the group. My only link with MG Baltic (was that I was) a member of the management board. It consisted of six members and I was one of the six,” he said.

Kurlianskis said that he had acted as head of MG Baltic’s media group.

Kurlianskis, the first defendant in the case to testify before the court, is charged with giving bribes to Eligijus Masiulis, a former leader of the Liberal Movement, as well as to Šarūnas Gustainis, former Liberal MP, and Vytautas Gapšys, a former leader of the Labor Party, to push through decisions favorable to the business group.

The defendants say that the investigation was biased.

Share

Recent Posts

  • Foreign affairs

“No need to mince words”: an assessment of what Trump’s victory means for Lithuania

"We can shout very loudly, but it won't change the position of the American people,"…

6 days ago
  • Latest

Lies, disrespect and mockery: experts assess Blinkevičiūtė’s “gift” to voters without scruples

From mocking messages flooding social networks to harsh criticism from political experts, the decision of…

2 weeks ago
  • Foreign affairs

Another year in the sovereign history of Kazakhstan

Republic Day has been celebrated in Kazakhstan as the main national date since 2022, giving…

3 weeks ago
  • Defence

In the assessment of NATO’s readiness for war with Russia, there is also a warning about the Baltic states: what is the Kremlin’s wild card?

According to Lrytas.lt, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) faces a new geopolitical reality with…

3 weeks ago
  • Tribune

The Citus projects: The Kaip Niujorke by CITUS project continues – the spirit of New York unfolds in Vilnius, and the second phase is launching

In September, Citus – a creative real estate projects’ development and placemaking company – began…

3 weeks ago
  • Latest

These parties will enter the Seimas for the third time in a row. How many votes did they lose, and how many did they gain?

As various parties emerge, disappear or reorganize themselves in the political space, the Lithuanian Social…

4 weeks ago