Lithuanian cabinet members to be questioned in construction fraud investigation

Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius and environment minister Kestutis Treciokas are to be questioned in the investigation into possible construction fraud, Lithuania's Special Investigation Service (SIS) confirmed on Tuesday.

SIS told local media Butkevicius would be questioned as a witness, while Treciokas would receive a status of special witness.

SIS and the prosecutors from Kaunas county have been conducting an investigation into possible illegal influence in the government's decision to implement under an urgent procedure amendments regarding the status of resort territories in Druskininkai, one of the country's largest resorts.

The decision allowed the legalization of some of the construction works in Druskininkai, reports news website vz.lt.

The town is governed by the Social Democratic Party, a leading party of the country's ruling coalition.

Butkevicius' press officers told local media the prime minister would be ready to testify after returning from his vacation next Tuesday.

The officers informed news website 15min.lt that the prime minister hadn't yet asked Treciokas to step down.

Treciokas, a member of the ruling coalition party Order and Justice, played down the importance of the investigation.

"In this case, there's nothing serious, I didn't even know anything about the projects and decisions," Treciokas told news website delfi.lt.

This is the second corruption scandal to hit the government in less than a week. On Friday, Rimante Salaseviciute, Lithuania's health minister and a member of the Social Democratic Party, announced her resignation after publicly admitting she bribed a doctor a few years ago. Endit