The General Prosecutor’s Office informed on Friday that it is requesting the annulment of the legal immunity of former Prime Minister, Social Democrat Gintautas Paluckos.
After collecting data in the pre-trial investigation launched last year, the aim is to bring suspicions against the politician for possible illegal enrichment.
At that time, Saulis Skvernelis, the former chairman of the “Vardan Lietuvos” Democratic Union, was accused in the case of bribery of the State Plantation Service.
LITHUANIAN POLITICAL NEWS
The General Prosecutor’s Office requests the destruction of the ex-premier Gintautas Palucka legal immunity.
In the appeal sent to the Seimas by Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė, it is indicated that the request was submitted after evaluating the currently available data in the pre-trial investigation started last year. It is carried out in accordance with the second part of Article 228 “Abuse” and the first part of Article 189 “Illegal enrichment” of the Criminal Code. The appeal states that the member of the Seimas and his wife were able to illegally purchase almost 345 thousand. EUR worth of property – by depositing cash in banks, purchasing cars, real estate and securities for cash.
The ex-premier and his wife could purchase this property since 2010. December to 2024 the end The politician himself confirmed to the news portal “Lrytas” that he was suspending his membership in the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party (LSDP), and said that he would agree to have his legal immunity revoked in a simplified procedure.
To the parliamentarian Saul Skvernelis suspected of bribery. As indicated by the Special Investigation Service (STT), the data collected by the officials gives reason to suspect that the politician, as a civil servant and a member of the Seimas, from 2025 between January and November, through an intermediary, he agreed to accept and in several times accepted no less than 51 thousand. EUR bribe in cash. Bribes may have been given to favor interested parties. The law enforcement also suspects that S. Skvernelis may have known that the illegal monetary reward would be paid to him from the illegal income obtained during the bribery of the accomplices of the crime. Last week, the Seimas revoked the politician’s legal immunity after the Prosecutor General appealed to the Parliament. S. Skvernelis agreed to have his legal immunity revoked in a simplified procedure, but he denied the allegations.
A member of the Chief Election Commission (CEC), the Vice-Chancellor of the Government and a former member of the Lazdijai District Municipal Council was transferred to the court Just Pankauskas the “cheques” case. According to the prosecutor’s office, the politician is accused of abuse, misappropriation of property, falsification of documents and possession of them. According to the file, in 2019-2021 J. Pankauskas, in his capacity as a member of the Lazdijai district municipal council, is suspected of falsifying the council member’s expense reports, presenting in them untrue data about the allegedly incurred costs of purchasing fuel. According to the prosecutor’s office, he embezzled 2,516 euros in this way. According to law enforcement, J. Pankauskas provided the municipality with gas station receipts, paid for with payment cards issued on behalf of other natural and legal persons.
Kaunas District Court Gediminas Filipavičius issued a new sentence and found him guilty of the rape of two women, sexual assault, forced sexual intercourse, unlawful imprisonment of these women and other crimes. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Combined with the previous sentence in the girl’s abduction case, the final sentence was 20 years imprisonment. This is the same sentence that was announced in the girl’s abduction case. Therefore, after the announcement of the second verdict, the total length of imprisonment of the convicted person did not increase. The man was also convicted of minor health impairment and illegal possession of narcotic or psychotropic substances without the intent to distribute them. One victim is a citizen of Lithuania, the other is from Ukraine. The women were imprisoned in garages in 2023, the victims claimed 15 and 25 thousand. civil claims, but the court awarded smaller amounts. Crimes against women were solved when officials investigated the kidnapping of a girl in Kaunas.
LITHUANIAN BUSINESS NEWS
Baltic countries and Poland signed a declaration calling on the European Union (EU) to increase funding for the states on the eastern border of the Community. Lithuanian Finance Minister Kristupas Vaitiekūnas, his Latvian, Estonian and Polish colleagues Arvils Ašeradens, Jurgen Ligi and Andrzej Domanski signed the declaration in Vilnius. The declaration calls for a reconsideration of the European Commission’s (EC) proposal for 2028-2034 for border regions. funding provided for in the budget for the period. According to K. Vaitiekūnas, there is still a lack of funding for security, in order to increase it, it is being considered to reduce expenses in other sectors, as well as to look for ways to apply new taxation that would help increase EU budget revenues. The budget project presented to the EC last year is being negotiated in Brussels, the estimated budget reaches almost 2 trillion. euros.
FOREIGN NEWS
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a three-week extension between Israel and Hezbollah, the US president announced. According to Donald Trump, the agreement was reached after he met with Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors and representatives in the Oval Office. The current ten-day ceasefire, which took effect on April 17, was due to end late on Sunday. According to the US president, there is a “high probability” that Israel and Lebanon can reach peace this year. Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah flared up again when the Iranian-backed group began attacking Israel in retaliation for its and US strikes on Tehran. The Israeli military responded by intensifying attacks in Lebanon and occupying parts of southern Lebanon near the Israeli border.
The Office of the United Nations (UN) High Commissioner for Human Rights claims to have found evidence that Israel in Lebanon committed war crimes. The bureau has collected material on the killings of medical workers and journalists, its spokesman said on Friday. The Israeli military’s obstruction of paramedics after an attack that killed a journalist and wounded a photographer on Wednesday amounted to a war crime, according to a spokesman for the office, as have direct attacks on civilians and medical personnel since the start of operations in Lebanon. Hezbollah’s rocket attacks in northern Israel, he said, are also considered a serious violation of international law.
The Iranian foreign minister is arriving in Islamabad on Friday evening, sources in Pakistani authorities said. The capital of Pakistan is preparing for the expected second US-Iran negotiations for the end-of-war round, but it remains unclear whether Araghchi and his accompanying delegation will meet any US representatives there. Pakistan became the main mediator in efforts to end the US-Israeli war with Iran, but after the first marathon of talks on April 11. Tehran has so far refused to send a delegation to Pakistan for the second round of talks. It was also unclear whether US Vice President JD Vance or other senior US administration officials were planning to return to Islamabad after the failed talks a few weeks ago, but US logistics and security teams were already there, according to the source.
