Utility heads arrested for corruption

VILNIUS -- The director of Vilnius' water utility company and four other senior management figures have been arrested on charges of corruption.

Company CEO Darius Norkus, sales and marketing director Nerijus Laurinaitis, welfare and economic services manager Tomas Biknevičius and another consultant were taken into custody this morning during a raid performed by the anti-corruption taskforce, the Special Investigations Service.

The arrest came following allegations from the state tax service that out of 31 inspected procurement deals from Vilniaus Vandenys, 27 were party to gross misconduct.

Vilnius Mayor Vilius Navickasofficially fired all four of the suspects after they were arrested.

The four men stand accused of bribery and falsification of documents, which were used to affect public procurements of the company.

Vilniaus Vandenys is a state-run company responsible for managing Vilnius' water supplies. It is the biggest water company in Lithuania.