“Peasants” is stopping participation in the party agreement on defense

According to the leader of the party, “peasants” will not participate in any meetings initiated by Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė regarding the increase in funding.

“Either I. Šimonytė has to prove that A. Anušauskas told the truth, or withdraw herself with the entire Government,” party chairman Ramūnas Karbauskis said in a statement released on Saturday.

“We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that funds from the national defense are possibly being embezzled, when at the same time the public is being threatened with war, as A. Anušauskas mentioned today,” says R. Karbauskis.

The decision to suspend participation in the parties’ agreement on defense was taken by the LVŽS board on Saturday, when following a meeting with the head of the country, Gitan Nausėda, A. Anušauskas stated that he “had to close the doors to companies” that tried to bribe employees of the national defense system. According to the minister, those companies “found an open door to other politicians”, and in some cases of particularly gross interference in public procurements, law enforcement had to be introduced as well.

The minister said that the prime minister supported all these anti-corruption activities, but he refused to name specific cases of bribery, companies and politicians.

The Special Investigation Service (STT) stated on Saturday that it is not conducting any investigations into the possible non-transparent public procurements in the Ministry of National Defense (KAM), nor has it received any information from the Ministry regarding attempts to bribe employees of the ministry organizing public procurements, or the pressure exerted on them.

According to STT, one informative letter was received from the Ministry of the Interior regarding questions submitted by Seimas member Raimundos Lopatas to the ministry regarding organized public procurements. The received information is evaluated.