Almost one month after the disappearance of an influential Lithuanian businessman Stanislovas Jucius in Kaliningrad, a high-ranking Russian official says he is safe and sound. Georgy Boos, Governor of the Kaliningrad enclave, made the statement to the news service of the Lithuanian national TV channel.
"The investigation will really be over. But everyone needs the result 's simply to see Mr Jucius, but that will take some time," Boos said.
When asked as to how much time it would take, the governor answered he "cannot say," "but his safety is in no danger."
Director of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry Violeta Gaizauskaite, when asked for a comment on the news that the missing businessman is safe, said she was looking forward to more information from the Russian authorities.
"We are glad to know that Mr Jucius is safe. Diplomats at the Lithuanian consulate general in Kaliningrad are persistently probing into the situation. We are waiting for Russian officials to supply more information about the missing Lithuanian citizen and are expecting that Russia will cooperate closely with Lithuanian institutions," Gaizauskaite told BNS.
Jucius, who was the founder and president of the Lithuanain Businessmen's Club, CEO of the Lithuanian equity construction company Roslitstroj and a member of the board of the Jupoja concern, went missing in Kaliningrad on the morning of April 18. He did not arrive to meet with his driver at the agreed time.
The media has reported that the businessman, who had previously been threatened, could have been kidnapped or killed, but Russian law enforcement agencies did not confirm what had happened.
Following Jucius's mysterious disappearance, the staff of Lithuania's consulate general in Kaliningrad approached the governor and the ministers
