Law enforcement officers have carried out “procedural actions” at the headquarters of Lithuania’s opposition Labour Party in Vilnius as part of an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the 15min.lt news website reported on Wednesday.
On Tuesday afternoon, law enforcement officers seized documents from the Labour Party headquarters and worked there until the night. The fact that law enforcement officers visited the party’s HQ was later confirmed to BNS by Viktoras Fiodorovas, leader of the party’s political group in the Lithuanian parliament, Seimas.
“I am informed as far as I am informed. Late last night, my party’s lawyer informed me that some procedural actions had been carried out at the headquarters, but he did not specify what they were. The case on which this is being done was not disclosed as well because they probably cannot disclose it,” Fiodorovas said. “It was only informally stated that the party is not involved in the case in any capacity.”
The politician said he was trying to get more information himself. He also said he had no information about possible allegations or any questioning of party members and had not been contacted by law enforcement.
European Delegated Prosecutor Darius Karčinskas later confirmed to BNS that an investigation had been opened but did not comment on the nature of it, adding that another European Delegated Prosecutor Vytautas Kukaitis was in charge of the investigation.
Labour Party chairman Andrius Mazuronis later commented that the investigation by the European Public Prosecutor's Office is related to the activities of the party's "former leadership" in the European Parliament.
"I cannot disclose the details of the investigation, because I have signed a pledge, but I can say that it is related to the activities of the former leadership of the party in the European Parliament," Mazuronis said in a statement released on Wednesday.
The only representative of the Labour Party in the EP is its founder and honorary chairman Viktor Uspaskich. He is also slated to lead the party's list in the EP elections this year.
BNS was unable to contact Uspaskich on Wednesday.
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