Lithuania’s law enforcement authorities investigating the possible export of sanctioned goods to Russia by a company owned by Vičiūnai Group have identified four suspects, the LRT Investigation Team reports.
“Four persons have been served with notices of suspicion in the investigation of a possible violation of international sanctions by transporting sanctioned products to Russia,” the Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement on Thursday.
“The investigation is ongoing, and all necessary pre-trial investigative actions are being performed,” it added.
The prosecutors did not disclose whether the shareholders or senior executives of the Vičiūnai Group are among the suspects.
The Vičiūnai Group is co-owned by Kaunas Mayor Visvaldas Matijošaitis and his business partner Liudas Skierius.
The pre-trial investigation was launched on April 11 amid suspicions that Plungės Kooperatinė Prekyba, a company owned by the Vičiūnai Group, had shipped sanctioned goods to Russia.
The LRT Investigation Team reported in early April that Plungės Kooperatinė Prekyba had shipped dual-use goods to Russia at least 11 times since the start of the war in Ukraine.
The company’s shipments reportedly included goods on the list of high-priority battlefield items needed for arms production, such as bearings used by Russia to manufacture tanks, as well as other dual-use items.
The recipient of all the goods was Vičiūnai-Rus, the group’s factory in Sovetsk, which was sold in April.
Further reading
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
