Lithuania: Labour Party MP Gapsys amused by 25,000-euro bribe suspicions

The suspicions of taking a 25,000 euro bribe from MG Baltic vice-president Raimondas Kurlianskis amuse Lithuanian Labour Party's MP Vytautas Gapsys.

Gapsys admitted having negotiated for discounts for political advertisement in the concern's TV channels, however, never violated any laws. He emphasised this was his direct task as the head of the party's election committee.

"The things they're saying bring a certain smile to my face. Isn't it the function of the head of an election committee to negotiate for discounts on media channels? I believe it is one of the primary tasks any head of an election committee does. I have held talks with probably all channels; heads of channels know that I am a rather strong negotiator, we have an advisory company, which tells us about prices and about what certain channels are worth, however, we do this in a way that is allowed by the law," Gapsys told journalists at the parliament on Monday.

He also said there were no reasons for him to give up his MP mandate amid the investigation opened by prosecutors.

Earlier on Monday, Lithuanian prosecutors have brought additional suspicions against MG Baltic vice-president Raimondas Kurlianskis on Monday — he is suspected of paying a bribe of 25,000 euros to the Labour Party's MP Vytautas Gapsys, the Prosecutor General's Office said.

After arriving at the Prosecutor General's Office on Monday, Kurlianskis was put under the additional suspicion of bribery and peddling influence.

According to evidence available to the authorities, Kurlianskis is suspected of directly offering, pledging, and agreeing to give and eventually paying a bribe of a total of 25,000 euros to Gapsys for adoption of favourable decisions for MG Baltic, i.e., for influencing the party's members and personal voting at the parliament.

According to the press release from the Prosecutor General's Office, the data shows the bribe could have been paid in the shape of a few mock deals.

The authorities suspect that it was done via a company authorised to represent the party's interests in the broadcast of political advertisement on TV by way of granting a 10,000-euro discount in two of the concern's TV channels. Another 15,000 euros could have been given via a possibly mock sponsorship contract between a public establishment and the concern's company.

Law enforcement has searched Gapsys' home and office at the parliament. He has been questioned as a special witness, a status given when there is evidence of a crime but suspicions cannot be brought. As an MP, Gapsys enjoys legal immunity that can only be lifted by the parliament.

Kurlianskis is also suspected of bribery, peddling influence, and unlawful possession of a state secret. Prosecutors suspect him of paying a bribe of 106,000 euros to then leader of the opposition Liberal Movement, Eligijus Masiulis.

Kurlianskis is chairman of the management board at the Laisvas ir Nepriklausomas Kanalas Group, the operator of several TV channels, and at Alfa Media, the operator of the Alfa.lt news portal.