One year after the cardboard producer Grigeo Klaipėda found itself at the centre of a Curonian Lagoon pollution scandal, a prosecutor says the pre-trial investigation is nearing conclusion.
People responsible for the pollution are facing prison terms of up to six years, while the company can be fined up to 5 million euros, Gina Skersinskytė, a prosecutor from Klaipėda District Prosecutor's Office, told reporters on Thursday.
Read more: After pollution scandal, Lithuania’s Grigeo Klaipėda to suspend operations
The Grigeo Klaipėda pollution scandal broke out last January when prosecutors alleged that a cardboard plant owned by Grigeo Klaipėda had been releasing untreated wastewater into the Curonian Lagoon for years.
Lithuania’s environment minister later commented that the company had been doing it purposefully since 2012 and done damage to the environment to the tune of 60 million euros.
The case should be handed over to court soon, Skersinskytė said.
It is too soon to speak about specific punishments for Grigeo executives and employees responsible for the pollution, but the criminal acts they are suspected of are punishable with prison terms of up to six years, Skersinskytė said.
Which suspects will stand trial and whether Gintautas Pangonis, the main shareholder of the Grigeo group, will be among them will be known once the case reaches court.
Skersinskytė said there are nine suspects in the case: eight individuals and Grigeo Klaipėda itself.
Damage done to the environment has yet to be calculated, the prosecutor said, adding that it is the main dispute object.
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