Lithuania's Liberal Movement urges Steponavicius to resign parliament and party

VILNIUS – Leadership of the Lithuanian Liberal Movement have urged Gintaras Steponavicius to resign from the parliament and the party after being faced with suspicions, Renaldas Vaisbrodas, the party's executive secretary said.

The Liberal Movement's board on Thursday decided that a member of the party facing official suspicions in a criminal investigation should immediately terminate membership in the party and resign from any political post.

"He is the only person faced with suspicions, although he has suspended his membership. Steponavicius has been notified of the party's decision, we are awaiting his response," Vaisbrodas told BNS.

A spokeswoman for the Special Investigation Service (STT) confirmed to BNS that Steponavicius had been Thursday questioned as the suspect.

Last week, the parliament stripped Steponavicius of his legal immunity, as requested by the prosecutor general. Prosecutors suspect that Steponavicius and Raimundas Kurlianskis, vice-president of MG Baltic concern, had agreed on unlawful funding of the party, discrediting the parliament's authority and his MP name in the vote on legal acts in the concern's favor.

Meanwhile, Steponavicius maintains he had only discussed support to civil initiatives but not parliamentary votes.