Lawyer for Jukna-linked ‘Scientific Services’ claims farmer training sessions did take place
A lawyer representing the institution Mokslinės paslaugos (Scientific Services), which is under scrutiny by law enforcement, has stated that EU-funded training sessions for farmers—contrary to public reports—did occur and were attended by participants, LRT reports.
Advocate Vaidotas Sviderskis told ELTA that the sessions were genuinely organised, with farmers participating as listeners, receiving certificates upon completion, and lecturers paid accordingly. “These trainings were indeed held. Quite a number of them took place,” Sviderskis said, estimating that up to ten such sessions may have been conducted as part of the pre-trial investigation.
Sviderskis acknowledged that discrepancies could exist between reported and actual attendance numbers but dismissed this as potential administrative errors rather than deliberate misconduct. “It’s possible that fewer people attended—perhaps three instead of the fifteen recorded—but that would simply be a mistake in documentation,” he explained. He suggested that neither the lecturers nor Vigilijus Jukna, a former advisor to Prime Minister Ingrida Ruginienė linked to the institution, were aware of such inaccuracies.
The lawyer clarified that Mokslinės paslaugos recently transitioned from a public institution to a private joint-stock company, with Jukna listed as a shareholder.
The Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT) conducted raids on Tuesday in Kaunas, Kaunas District, and Marijampolė District as part of a pre-trial investigation into suspected document forgery and credit fraud. Authorities allege that two legal entities—Mokslinės paslaugos and the Lithuanian University of Agriculture—may have misused EU funds by falsely reporting training activities, potentially defrauding nearly €400,000 and attempting to secure an additional €188,000.
The allegations follow a journalistic investigation by 15min.lt, which claimed that training sessions organised by Jukna’s company and the university were held without actual participants. The National Paying Agency had already disbursed over €200,000 of the €300,000 allocated for the project, despite rules requiring cancellation if fewer than 12 participants attended.
The Special Investigations Service has referred the case to the Prosecutor General’s Office for evaluation. Prime Minister Ruginienė dismissed Jukna from his advisory role pending further clarification of the allegations.