Lithuania’s anti-corruption agency on Monday conducted searches in the offices and homes of lawmakers Kazys Starkevičius and Saulius Skvernelis as part of a corruption probe involving alleged bribes totalling about 1.5 million euros at the State Plant Service.
The Special Investigation Service, known by its Lithuanian acronym STT, confirmed to BNS that procedural actions were being carried out as part of a pretrial investigation into suspected corruption at the State Plant Service, including searches at the parliament. The STT said it would provide more information later Monday.
Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas told BNS that the searches were conducted in the offices of Starkevičius, a former agriculture minister and member of the conservative Homeland Union, and Skvernelis, former prime minister and leader of the Democrats “For Lithuania” party. A BNS reporter saw STT officers entering and leaving the lawmakers’ offices.
BNS attempted to contact both Starkevičius and Skvernelis, but their phones were switched off. 15min.lt reported that searches were also carried out at the politicians’ homes.
As previously reported, in the same investigation charges have already been brought against State Plant Service head Jurij Kornijenko and 12 other people. Those charged include Kornijenko’s deputy, Mantas Butas; advisers Aurelijus Šapranauskas and Agnė Silickienė; Kaunas regional office head Dalia Šubonienė; and Alytus regional office head Giedrius Urbelionis.
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Investigators allege that representatives of companies transporting plants and plant products were systematically asked for and paid large bribes in exchange for phytosanitary certificates issued by the State Plant Service.
During earlier searches, officers seized 1.3 million euros in cash, eight kilograms of gold worth about 1 million euros, explosives and cocaine.
Agriculture Minister Andrius Palionis has said that suspicions of possible corruption at the State Plant Service emerged as early as last spring.
Starkevičius served as agriculture minister from August to December 2024 and previously held the post from 2008 to 2012. From 2020 to 2024, he chaired the parliamentary Committee on Economics and earlier served on the Committee on Rural Affairs, including as its vice chairman.
The agriculture minister portfolio is currently held by the Nemunas Dawn party.
‘I am calm’
Lithuanian lawmaker and Democratic Party leader Saulius Skvernelis said Monday he remains calm after anti-corruption investigators searched his parliamentary office, but said he is unable to comment further on the investigation.
“Yes, procedural actions have been carried out. I cannot say anything more. I signed a commitment not to comment,” Skvernelis told reporters at the Seimas. “I can say one thing – I am calm and I have nothing to worry about. This is a state governed by the rule of law, and that legal path will have to be followed. I have not committed any criminal acts.”
Asked whether he had been granted the status of a special witness, Skvernelis said he could not confirm that information, reiterating that he was barred from discussing details of the case.
He said his party would not make immediate decisions about his continued leadership but would monitor developments.
“I fully understand the seriousness of the situation, and decisions will be taken,” Skvernelis said. “I will not say this is political persecution or anything like that. The Special Investigation Service is doing its job, and that work must be respected. In a state governed by law, I expect an objective and impartial investigation.”
Skvernelis added that the procedural actions would cause significant damage to his party’s reputation.
He said he hopes the investigation will not require lifting his parliamentary immunity, but pledged to cooperate if that step becomes necessary.
“I hope it does not come to that, but I will not hide behind any protections if it does,” he said. “I hope questions will be asked that I can answer and that the matter will be concluded.”
Skvernelis said he has no ties to Kazys Starkevičius, another lawmaker whose offices were searched as part of the probe.
“I have had and have nothing in common with Mr Starkevičius,” Skvernelis said.
Skvernelis said investigators seized several documents and his phone. He added that searches were also conducted at his home earlier Monday.
Starkevičius said Monday he is “calm” and ready to cooperate with the law enforcement. The politician is also suspending his membership in the opposition Homeland Union (TS-LKD) party.
“Having assessed the circumstances, I have decided to temporarily suspend my membership in the TS-LKD party. I understand the sensitivity of such events, so while the investigation is conducted, I do not want to cause additional reputational damage to my political community,” said Starkevičius said on Monday.
“I am calm, I will cooperate with law enforcement, and the officers conducting the investigation will answer any questions that arise,” he added.
Special witnesses
Investigators probing possible systemic corruption at the Lithuanian State Plant Service have decided to question MPs Saulius Skvernelis and Kazys Starkevičius as special witnesses.
The decision was announced on Monday by Artūras Urbelis, chief prosecutor at the Organised Crime and Corruption Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
“On February 5 […] the prosecutor decided to question members of the Seimas, who have legal immunity, as persons who may provide testimony about possibly criminal acts they themselves may have committed,” he told a press conference.
Urbelis did not say whether Starkevičius and Skvernelis have already been questioned.
A person is questioned as a special witness when investigators are examining their actions but do not have sufficient evidence to designate them as suspects. The designation may also be used for officials who enjoy legal immunity from prosecution.
Parliament members can be prosecuted if the parliament agrees to lift their immunity.
The chief prosecutor told reporters he could not yet say whether he’d ask to do it.
Urbelis said one line of inquiry concerns possible “political favour in the exercise of official powers” in the context of systemic corruption.
“One of the versions is that the functioning of the entire systemic corruption mechanism may have involved political favour. To verify this, a number of procedural steps were carried out, including coercive measures,” he said.
The chief prosecutor said searches were carried out on Monday at the MPs’ offices in the parliament and at their homes. He added that other procedural steps had been planned in advance to verify information gathered during the pre-trial investigation and to test the versions under consideration.
According to Urbelis, 14 people have so far been served with notifications of suspicion in the pre-trial investigation, and one person has been detained.
“Among them are individuals with criminal records, that is, persons who have been recognised by courts as having committed criminal offenses,” he said.
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