Lithuania’s corruption case: prosecutor wants money restriction for Masiulis extended

The prosecutor is asking the court to extend the restriction until the case is heard, as the money could have the characteristics of seizable assets.

Apart this amount, the prosecutor is also asking to impose temporary restrictions on 130 British pounds and 1,600 US dollars.

Masiulis’ lawyer Mindaugas Bliuvas objects to this request, saying that members of Masiulis’ family worked, had legal sources of income and the pounds remained after a trip and the US dollar were meant for a future trip.

According to the prosecution service, Masiulis is suspected to have known that these assets could not be received through legal income as Masiulis is suspected to have received 106,200 euros from the then MG Baltic vice president, Raimondas Kurlianskis, and the remaining 136,210 euros, 130 British pounds and 1,600 US dollars came from undisclosed income sources and have not been declared or document-proved.

Formal charges in the political corruption case are brought against three legal entities — the Liberal Movement, the Labor Party and MG Baltic — and a number of natural persons, including Kurlianskis, three former members of the Liberal Movement — Eligijus Masiulis, MP Gintaras Steponavičius and Šarūnas Gustainis — and Vytautas Gapšys, a former Labor Party lawmaker.

Kurlianskis is charged with giving bribes to Masiulis, Gustainis and Gapšys.

All the suspects have denied any wrongdoing.

The Labor Party and the Liberal Movement are charged with bribery, influence peddling and abuse of their position, and MG Baltic is suspected of having bribed the parties and of influence peddling.

The case hearing was on Friday adjourned until Aug. 21.