The Supreme Court of Lithuania on Thursday upheld the convictions of businessman Raimondas Kurlianskis, former Liberal leader Eligijus Masiulis, MP Vytautas Gapšys, and others implicated in the so-called MG Group (former MG Baltic) political corruption case.
However, the court downgraded some of the charges and issued lighter sentences.
The Supreme Court reduced Kurlianskis’ prison sentence from six to five and a half years and cut his fine from almost 19,000 euros to 17,000 euros.
It shortened Gapšys’ prison term to four years and three months instead of the four and a half years handed down by the Court of Appeal.
Šarūnas Gustainis, a former member of the Liberal Movement, had his fine reduced from around 19,000 euros to 15,000 euros.
The fines imposed on the Liberal Movement and MG Group were also slightly adjusted to almost 375,000 euros and 1.11 million euros, respectively.
The sentences against Masiulis, former liberal politician Gintaras Steponavičius, and the Labour Party remain unchanged.
Last November, the Court of Appeal sentenced Masiulis to five and a half years in prison and confiscated over 240,000 euros from him. Steponavicius was fined more than 15,000 euros, and the Labour Party was hit with a fine of over 300,000 euros.
The Supreme Court received a total of 12 appeals from those convicted in the case and their lawyers. Its ruling is final and not subject to appeal.
Kurlianskis and MG Group, one of Lithuania’s largest business groups formerly known as MG Baltic, were convicted of bribing politicians and political parties to push through favourable decisions in the parliament.
The Prosecutor Genera’s Office sought to have all cassation appeals dismissed and the Court of Appeal’s ruling upheld without changes.
The defendants were initially acquitted by the Vilnius Regional Court in 2022.
The so-called MG Baltic scandal broke out on May 12, 2016, after officers of the Special Investigation Service (STT) searched the home, workplace, and car of the then leader of the Liberal Movement Eligijus Masiulis. During one of the searches, 242,000 euros were found in the politician’s possession.
The prosecutor then revealed that Masiulis may have received a bribe from Kurlianskis, vice-president of MG Baltic. On the same day, Kurlianskis was detained.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
