Eugenijus Gentvilas. Answers to Raimundas Lopata

Raimundas Lopata raised several questions regarding my past in his article 2G: the Liberal dilemma. One of the questions is how I could not have known that E. Masiulis is preparing to take a bribe from R. Kurlianskis. Another – how things will pan out with the potential harm to Klaipėda port.

While the answers have long been presented to the public, party members and law enforcement officials, I will have to repeat the answers. What can you do – the party congress is nearing, thus even those who know everything sometimes pretend something is still unclear.

Firstly let me answer about the port issues. The director general of the port directorate, a member of the Social Democrat electoral roll presented a complaint against me on June 2016 over damages for damages done. It was found that no damages were done, there was and will be NO court process. It is clear that it was simply a Social Democrat campaign attack against me as the leader of the Liberal electoral roll and against the whole Liberal movement. It is just rather odd that the political opponents’ “aces” are now being used in the internal debates of the Liberals.

Regarding E. Masiulis. On September 6, 2009, I as the port directorate director general am left a note on the table by one construction company owner P. Jurgutis. In it he offers 200 thousand litas for a competition which will be held in a week. I presented a report to the STT. My next conversation with P. Jurgutis is filmed by the STT. P. Jurgutis begins going to interrogations at the STT. It becomes public knowledge in city business circles that P. Jurgutis got caught offering a bribe to E. Gentvilas. (By the way, let me say immediately that in 2010 P. Jurgutis was convicted for bribe offering.)

Then one individual from E. Masiulis’ environment comes to Klaipėda, trying to convince me that it is necessary to fight corruption, but perhaps not so strictly. I sent him off with some choice words…

Naturally I discussed this situation with the then Minister of Transport and Communications E. Masiulis. I inquired whether he sent that individual to expound to me how to “combat” corruption. The minister denied it, stating it was not at his initiative.

During a fairly heated conversation I told E. Masiulis that I have never participated in unclean matters and I do not plan to. I also added that if I receive any illegal instructions from him, he can seek a new port head the next day.

To E. Masiulis’ credit I can say that I never received any illegal instructions from him, never participated in any discussions of illegal matters.

But here it is, the answer to R. Lopata and the others who “do not know”. If E. Masiulis did participate in any illegal monetary transfers, naturally I was not informed of it.

At the same time this is a good opportunity that over the more than ten years that I’ve known MG Baltic heads D. Mockus and R. Kurklianskis, I have never discussed monetary issues with them, their interests in legislation or competitions. I have never spoken to them by phone, never exchanged letters, never and under no circumstances have I spoken of party affairs with them. I have never asked anyone to meet with D. Mockus or R. Kurlianskis and discuss some sort of issues. The NGO I have founded has never requested or received any financial aid from MG Baltic companies.

That which is known and clear to Lithuanian law enforcement must be known to R. Lopata, the Liberals and the public.

Up to this article by R. Lopata I was convinced that I’ve always acted together with V. Gailius. We would discuss the legal defence problems of the party, raise party management questions together and we never felt we were in opposing camps.

R. Lopata’s article outlines two distinct flows and two distinct (almost hostile) camps within the party: the Gentvilas-Šimašius and Gailius-Auštrevičius camps.

Respected Raimundas Lopata – I respect your mind and long years of work. However I understand that not being a member of the Liberal Party, you cannot know the internal processes and artificially fracture and antagonist the Liberals.

My question remains rhetorical – who is preparing the soil for the party’s fracturing at the hands of R. Lopata?