Translated material
Political wanted
Lithuania seeks arrest of Viktor Uspaskich
Yesterday, the Lithuanian Prosecutor General's Office handed over to a representative of Interpol a European arrest warrant for politician and businessman Viktor Uspaskich, who has been in Russia since May. The decision of the Prosecutor General's Office was made on the basis of a court ruling, which regarded ignoring four calls to testify as an attempt to evade justice. Now, if he enters any EU country, Mr. Uspaskich can be detained and transferred to Lithuania.The 47-year-old entrepreneur, leader of the Lithuanian Labor Party, Uspaskich, is suspected in Lithuania of various financial violations. In May, his apartment and party headquarters were searched. An investigation has been launched into suspected accounting irregularities, but formal charges have not yet been announced. After the investigation began, Uspaskich resigned as party chairman. He and his associates regard what is happening as a “political order.”
Now Viktor Uspaskich is perplexed as to why the Prosecutor General’s Office and the media labeled him a fugitive. From time to time he performs live on popular Lithuanian television and radio programs. His address is known to his party comrades, with whom he periodically meets in Moscow, and the house in which he lives was even shown on television.
As his lawyer Vytautas Sviderskis said yesterday, Uspaskich intends to return to Lithuania and is ready to take part in the trial “if it is publicly open.” The lawyer is indignant that the Prosecutor General’s Office does not allow him to familiarize himself with the documents on the client’s case. In response, it was said that one appeal is not enough - evidence is needed that the lawyer is really authorized to defend Uspaskich.
The other day, the Department of State Security (DSS) of Lithuania released a statement warning the public about an upcoming “black information attack” from the Uspaskiches. We are talking about a book written by the ex-Minister of Economy, in which he promises to tell the truth about the political mores of Lithuania and some famous political figures. For example, about the sources of funding for their political campaigns.