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Lithuanian politician investigated over corruption

Xinhua, May 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

Lithuanian prosecutors confirmed on Friday that more than 100,000 euros (112,955 U.S. dollars) was found in the possession of Eligijus Masiulis, former member of parliament from Lithuanian Liberal Movement, amid a corruption scandal with a large local business group involved.

"We are talking about the amount of EUR 106,000 which was transferred to a Lithuanian politician, a member of a parliamentary party, a member of parliament," Justas Laucius, prosecutor supervising the case, was quoted as saying by ELTA news agency.

"At this stage of the pre-trial investigation we believe that there have been signs of political corruption," the prosecutor added.

Masiulis, a pronounced Lithuanian politician, resigned on Thursday from his leading post at Liberal Movement and claimed he was refusing his parliamentary mandate after alleged bribery case went public.

"I would like to tell you a lot of things and I will do when the time is right; unfortunately, today I can't comment due to legal proceedings," Masiulis was quoted as saying on Friday by local website Delfi.lt.

"I can assure you that I will try to legally prove my rightness and deny the charges," he said.

Antanas Guoga from Lithuanian Liberal Movement, currently member of the European Parliament, took the helm of the party after the resignation of Masiulis.

Meanwhile, Raimundas Kurlianskis, Lithuanian conglomerate MG Baltic's vice-president, has been arrested. According to the prosecutor, Kurlianskis is suspected to be the source of the money found in possession of Masiulis.

Kurlianskis faces suspicions over high value or large scale bribery and influence peddling.

As reported, Lithuania's special investigations service (STT) has launched a probe on Thursday in regard to an alleged large-scale corruption and influence-peddling case into one of the largest Lithuanian business conglomerates and a member of parliament. Endit