Lithuanian corruption scandal continues

  • 2006-05-26
  • By TBT staff
VILNIUS 's Now, the Lithuanian corruption scandal is implicating new members of the ruling Labor Party
According to the daily newspaper Lietuvos Rytas and BNS report, Lithuanian Health Minister Zilvinas Padaiga known for his arrogance, admitted receiving 40,000 litas (EUR 11,600) from the party.
The Labor Party's "black bookkeeping" contains data about financial assistance to Padaiga who also signed certain papers.
However, Padaiga denied the reports at the beginning: "I really did not receive the money. This is not true," said Padaiga.
But later he remembered that he really put his signature somewhere. "When I crashed the car (during the parliamentary election campaign) I received assistance from the party. It was my father-in-law's car. I gave him the money," he said.
The politician outlined that he never inquired whether the money was legal: "I have no idea about the origin of the money. I was glad to get a compensation for the damages."