A week in Lithuania | The Supreme Court ruled that the MP violated the constitution; the minister draws prosecutors’ attention to the president’s statement about Volkov’s attacker – BNN

The family company of the presidential candidate has been accused of circumventing European Union sanctions

A memorial event for the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster was held in Vilnius

On Friday, April 26, a memorial ceremony for the victims of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster was held in Vilnius. Sviatlana Cihanouska’s office said the Vilnius-based Belarusian opposition leader and representatives of about ten foreign embassies laid flowers at the Chernobyl monument in Sapeg Castle Park in the capital. The disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine took place on April 26, 1986. Initially, the Soviet leadership tried to hide it. The Soviet government sent about 600,000 so-called “liquidators,” mostly military, police, firefighters, and civil servants, to Chernobyl with almost no protective gear to help put out the reactor fire. Among them were also residents of Lithuania.

The Member of Parliament broke his oath and violated the constitution

With his statements about the Jews, deputy Remigijs Žemaitaitis has broken the oath of the deputy and grossly violated the state constitution, the Supreme Court of Lithuania decided on Thursday, April 25. If Žemaitaitis does not resign from the post of deputy after the court’s verdict, the parliament will have to vote to revoke the mandate of the deputy. For this to be adopted, at least 85 votes from the 141 members of the parliament would be required. The court decided that with his statements, Žemaitaitis “did not take into account the obligation to promote national harmony established in the preamble of the constitution”, as well as the deputy did not respect his oath and did not fulfill the obligation to respect the constitution and laws. The presiding judge could not say whether this is the first time in history that a country’s constitutional court has punished someone for posts on Facebook. Žemaitaitis is running for the position of president in the upcoming elections next month.

One of the possible thieves of valuable books was arrested

In Lithuania, since the end of 2023, one of the nine suspected members of a criminal gang that allegedly stole valuable 19th-century Russian classics from the libraries of Vilnius University (VU) and other European countries has been in custody, the General Prosecutor’s Office announced on Thursday, April 25. “Europol” announced on Thursday that with the recent arrests of four Georgian citizens, the number of suspects has increased to nine. One of the arrests took place in Lithuania, the agency reported. In May 2023, seventeen rare Russian books with a total value of approximately 440,000 euros were stolen from the VU library.

Lithuania will follow Poland’s example regarding the mobilization of Ukrainian men living abroad

On Thursday, April 25, Lithuania undertook to follow Poland’s example in connection with conscripting Ukrainian men living abroad into the army, announced Defense Minister Laurynas Kasčiūnas. His comments came after Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysh said Warsaw was ready to help Kyiv return military-age men to the country. He pointed out that Poland could limit social benefits for Ukrainians, the issuance of work permits and other documents, but Ukrainians would not be detained and deported en masse. To encourage men of military age living abroad to return home, Ukraine has stopped issuing new passports to some men.

Parliament extends state sanctions against Russians and Belarusians

As Russia continues its war in Ukraine, the Lithuanian parliament on Wednesday, April 24, extended state sanctions against citizens of Russia and Belarus for a year, but rejected proposals to impose new restrictions on Belarusians. The most significant of the new measures is the ban on the import of agricultural products and fodder originating in Russia or Belarus; the specific list of prohibited products will be published by the government. The proposal to extend the term of the Law “On Determining Restrictive Measures in Connection with Military Aggression against Ukraine” was adopted with 109 votes in favor, two against and eight abstentions. On Tuesday, April 23, the parliament also supported an amendment that envisages canceling temporary residence permits for citizens of Russia and Belarus who knowingly, publicly and systematically spread false information that is against the interests of society or the state, or publicly support a crime of aggression recognized in UN documents or international courts . However, this amendment was removed from the bill on Thursday.

The presidential candidate’s family business may have evaded EU sanctions

“Vilpra”, the heating system sales and installation company controlled by the family of presidential candidate Igna Vegele, may have circumvented European Union (EU) sanctions against Russia and Belarus by exporting air conditioners to Kyrgyzstan, according to investigative journalism center “Siena” and the investigation by its partners in Lithuania and Belarus. The report was published on Wednesday, April 24. The company “Vilpra” actively traded with Kyrgyzstan between September 2022 and March 2023, during this period exporting air conditioners worth approximately 940,000 euros to the Central Asian country, according to the data collected by “Siena”. The Lithuanian Customs Criminal Service confirmed to “Siena” that last summer it blocked the shipment of “Vilpra” to Kyrgyzstan, as the company tried to resume exports to the said country. The company “Vilpra” denied that it had tried to avoid EU sanctions. The executive director of “Vilpra” Martins Vegele (Martynas Vegele), the brother of the presidential candidate, rejected the journalists’ investigation as politically motivated.

Lithuania approves project to produce 730,000 tons of hydrogen by 2050

On Wednesday, April 24, the Lithuanian government approved the draft guidelines developed by the Ministry of Energy for the development of the hydrogen industry in Lithuania from 2024 to 2050. .to set tasks for the year. The guidelines include the goal of installing at least 1,300 MW of electrolysis equipment in the country by 2030, producing 129,000 tons of green hydrogen per year and producing at least 41% of ammonium fertilizer. By 2050, electrolysis capacity should reach 8,500 MW, and clean fuel production should reach 732,000 tons, of which 44,000 tons could be exported.

The minister addresses the prosecutors in connection with the president’s announcement about Volkov’s attacker

On Tuesday, April 23, the Minister of the Interior of Lithuania, Agne Bilotaitė, appealed to the General Prosecutor’s Office after last week, President Gitanas Nausėda publicly announced that two people have been detained in Poland on suspicion of the attack on Russian opposition activist Leonid Volkov in Vilnius. Bilotaite asks prosecutors to check whether Nausėda broke the law by sharing this information. “I consider the president’s actions as irresponsible communication that undermines mutual trust between Lithuanian and Polish officials and that could also compromise the pre-trial investigation,” the minister said in the statement. Prosecutors have been asked to evaluate whether the president’s actions can be considered an unauthorized disclosure of pre-trial investigation data. Volkov, who was a close ally of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was attacked in a car near his home in the Lithuanian capital on the evening of March 12.

The Seimas accepts the amendments regarding the investments of “Rheinmetall”.

On Tuesday, April 23, Lithuanian MPs created favorable conditions for the largest local and Western manufacturers, including the German military giant “Rheinmetall”, which plans to build a production plant in Lithuania, so that they can build their factories faster and easier. Special conditions will be applied to defense industry projects, which will allow them to start operations more quickly, as investors will be able to complete environmental impact assessment procedures, as well as receive building permits more quickly. In total, 118 deputies voted for these amendments, four were against and one abstained. The Seimas also adopted amendments to several related laws.

Lithuania’s PST signs a EUR 156 million contract for the construction of the Ignalina NPP storage facility

Lithuania’s leading construction company “Panevėžio Statybos Trestas” (PST) announced on Tuesday, April 23, that it has signed a contract with the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (IAES) worth 156 million euros, including VAT, for the construction of a storage facility for low and medium radioactive short-term nuclear waste. According to the contract, the storage facility must be built within 4.5 years, PST said in a statement. General Director of PST Tomas Stukas described the construction of the storage facility as one of the company’s most responsible projects, which is important for all of Lithuania. The waste storage facility will be built in Stabatiškis, Visaginas municipality, next to other nuclear waste management facilities of the IAES, and will consist of three reinforced concrete modules that will be able to store up to 100,000 cubic meters of waste. It is planned that the repository will be filled with waste by 2038 and it is planned to be managed for at least 300 years.

Follow us too Facebook, To friends and X!