Lithuanian businessman Rimandas Stonys, active in the energy sector, has been detained as part of an investigation into a fuel VAT fraud scheme, sources confirmed to BNS on Tuesday.
LNK News reported on Tuesday that Stonys was being questioned in Kaunas.
Stonys is the owner of Kauno Termofikacinė Elektrinė and previously owned Dujotekana, an importer of gas from the Russian gas giant Gazprom.
Stonys' assets were worth 70 million euros in 2019, according to the TOP magazine.
Led to a car by officers in Kaunas following questioning on Tuesday night, Stonys told LNK News that he was detained “for no reason at all”.
Asked to comment on the suspicions against him, Stonys said: “No comment.”
The lrytas.lt news website reports that a total of 10 people have been detained as part of the investigation.
Million-euro scheme
Stonys and four other individuals are suspected of large-scale VAT fraud and fraudulent bookkeeping, the country's Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT) said on Wednesday.
Investigators suspect that, over the last seven months, the group was involved in a criminal scheme aimed at reducing the payable VAT and excise duty amounts, or more than 1.1 million euros, for a Lithuanian-registered energy company selling oil products.
The group is suspected to have simulated oil purchase and sale transactions among five Lithuanian and foreign companies which, investigators say, are not engaged in any activity.
Eighty-five officers of the FNTT, police and Public Security Service have carried out more than 30 searches in Kaunas, Klaipėda and Vilnius.
According to the FNTT, suspicions have also been brought against the alleged mastermind of this scheme, who has 13 prior convictions for financial crimes. Based on the information available to BNS, the person is Mindaugas Žalimas.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
