Lithuanian prosecutors freeze assets of corruption suspect Agnė Silickienė

Lithuania’s Prosecutor General’s Office has temporarily restricted former government advisor Agnė Silickienė from managing her property as part of an ongoing bribery investigation, state broadcaster LRT reports.

Real estate records show that assets belonging to Silickienė and her husband, Saulius Silickas, have been seized, including a land plot in Užkryžiai village (Elektrėnai municipality), a house, apartment, and garage in Vilnius, and an additional plot in Marijampolė. The restrictions took effect in December 2025.

Silickienė, a former advisor to ex-Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis, is suspected of participating in a criminal group within the State Plant Service that allegedly demanded bribes from business owners in exchange for phytosanitary certificates. Prosecutors claim she acted as an intermediary, potentially funneling payments to Skvernelis.

The case centers on accusations that the service’s former director, Jurijus Kornijenko, his deputy Mantas Butas, and advisors including Silickienė and Aurelijus Šapranauskas systematically extorted bribes for issuing certificates. Prosecutors allege some funds were shared with politicians—namely Skvernelis—to secure favorable decisions, such as retaining Kornijenko in his post.

Šapranauskas’ property—a residential house and land in Zujūnai—has also been frozen. Legal expert Raimundas Jurka noted that asset restrictions are standard in corruption cases where illicit gains are suspected, ensuring defendants cannot profit from criminal activity.

Skvernelis, a former Seimas speaker (2024–2025), allegedly used Silickienė to negotiate a bribe in early 2025, with payments made between June and December that year. Another politician, ex-Agriculture Minister Kazys Starkevičius, is also implicated in the case.

Prosecutors have requested the Seimas lift Skvernelis’ parliamentary immunity in connection with the probe.