MP Gražulis summoned for questioning, refuses to give evidence

“Gražulis is being questioned as a special witness,” Rita Stundienė, spokeswoman for the Prosecutor General’s Office, has confirmed.

“I have nothing to hide, I am in good spirits, in a militant mood, I know I did not take any bribes and I maintain that this is a pre-electoral provocation,” Gražulis told reporters upon arriving to the Prosecutor General’s Office.

However, once inside the office, Gražulis refused to answer prosecutors’ questions, according to Stundienė.

“Mr Gražulis was today handed copies of the search protocols and the prosecutor’s decision to question him as a special witness, but Mr Gražulis refused to give evidence,” Stundienė said, adding that the MP spent about an hour in the prosecutor’s office.

Under Lithuanian law, a person is questioned as a special witness where there is evidence of a crime but formal suspicions cannot be brought. As an MP, Gražulis enjoys legal immunity that can only be lifted by a parliament vote.

Law-enforcement bodies are investigating suspicions that a company linked to Gražulis sought to bribe officials in an effort to avoid penalties.

Formal suspicions have been brought against Jonas Milius, director of the State Food and Veterinary Service, in the case.

Gražulis, who is a member of the Order and Justice party, makes no secret that he has spoken with Milius about possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination in products of Judex, a Kaunas-based food producer, but maintains that he has done nothing illegal.