Lithuania charges former PM Skvernelis in corruption case

Lithuania’s Prosecutor General’s Office has officially filed corruption charges against former Prime Minister and current Seimas member Saulius Skvernelis after parliament voted to lift his immunity.

The charges are linked to a case involving the State Plant Protection Service, in which Skvernelis is named as one of the suspects under investigation, Caliber.Az reports, citing Lithuanian media.

The Prosecutor General’s Office and the Special Investigation Service said there are grounds to believe that during his tenure as Speaker of the Seimas, the politician may have received bribes totalling at least €51,000.

He received the money in exchange for facilitating the activities of the agency through his then-adviser Agnė Siličkienė.

Investigators are also examining allegations that Skvernelis may have been aware of the illicit origin of the funds.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov