Former head of the Plant Production Service Kornijenko is questioned by the STT
On Thursday, Yuri Kornijenko, former head of the State Service for Plant Breeding, which is at the epicentre of the corruption scandal, gave evidence to the Special Investigation Service (STT).
„No position, I cannot reveal anything. (...) Look, I can't really reveal anything, because I signed everything," Kornijenko told LNK TV as he left the STT.
He reportedly spent one and a quarter hours in the office.
Marijanas Taraškevičius, a suspect in a corruption case at the Plant Breeding Service and previously convicted of cigarette smuggling, was also questioned by the STT.
„I cannot comment on the position, because it is forbidden to provide data from the pre-trial investigation, and the client's position is exactly one of the data that are in the pre-trial investigation file," the suspect's lawyer, Gediminas Bukauskas, told the TV station.
He said he was not aware of the questioning of the former head of the Plant Production Service and assured that Taraškevičius had not given any testimony.
„I don't know about Kornijenko, I haven't seen him in person. He may have been questioned today, but I don't know anything about it," the lawyer said.
„You guessed right“, – he said, when asked whether Tarashkevich, who was detained by the STT for a short time, had not given evidence.
As previously reported, in February the STT raided the offices of the leader of the Democratic Union "In the Name of Lithuania", S. Skvernelis, and the leader of the conservative faction, Kazis Starkiewicz, as part of an investigation into possible large-scale corruption. Their homes were also searched.
ELTA recalls that in December last year, officials detained a total of 13 people in the course of an investigation into a particularly large-scale corruption case in the State Service for Plant Production. According to the prosecutor's office, the number of suspects has now risen to 14.
According to the law enforcement authorities, according to the data gathered during the investigation, representatives of companies transporting plants and plant products were systematically demanding and receiving bribes of high value for phytosanitary certificates issued by the State Plant Production Service to the transporters of goods.
Among the suspects are the now suspended Director of the State Plant Breeding Service J. Kornijenko, his deputy Mantas Butas, advisor Agnė Silickienė, head of the Alytus regional department Giedrius Urbelionis and interim head of the Kaunas regional department Dalia Šubonienė.
They are suspected of bribery in an organised group. Suspicions of bribery, bribery and influence peddling in an organised group have also been brought against 7 managers of private companies and related persons.
More than 100 searches led to the seizure of more than €1.3 million in cash, 8 kilograms of gold worth around €1 million, 11,000 cigarette packs, 14,000 litres of alcohol, cocaine and explosives.
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