Lithuanian prosecutors continue abuse of office probe after dropping Embraer case

Lithuania’s General Prosecutor’s Office has ended its pre-trial investigation into the procurement of Brazilian-made Embraer C-390 Millennium military transport aircraft but is continuing a separate abuse of office probe, the BNS news agency reported on Saturday.

“To objectively assess whether a criminal act was committed, the investigation is ongoing, but no further details can be disclosed at this time,” Elena Martinonienė, a spokeswoman for the General Prosecutor’s Office, told BNS.

The Special Investigation Service (STT), which is handling the case, has also declined to comment on the details of the investigation.

Prosecutors began looking into the potential purchase of the aircraft last autumn but formally closed the Embraer-related inquiry in May. The probe was launched following a request from opposition conservative leader Laurynas Kasčiūnas and then-chairman of the Seimas National Security and Defence Committee, Giedrimas Jeglinskas. They asked the STT to verify whether the Ministry of National Defence had violated procurement regulations in its approximately €700 million plan to buy three aircraft and whether any abuse of office had occurred.

The State Defence Council initially approved the purchase in June of last year but reversed its decision in January, opting to postpone the acquisition.