Army engineer describes alleged 3,000-euro bribe in court

Ignas Šaudys, an engineer overseeing building maintenance for the Lithuanian Armed Forces, told a court that he was shocked after a contractor allegedly gave him a bag containing 3,000 euros, wine and snacks. LRT reported on Monday.

Šaudys testified at Kaunas District Court in Kaišiadorys about the alleged bribe, which he said was offered in exchange for his favourable assessment of renovation work at the Lithuanian Officers’ Club in Kaunas.

He said the bag was handed to him last December near the Akropolis shopping and entertainment centre in Kaunas. He had arranged to meet a representative of Vilnius-registered construction company Versiculus to discuss a construction work log. Šaudys said the meeting may also have concerned window installation, after company shareholder Evaldas Gudynas mentioned “Christmas matters”.

According to Šaudys, Gudynas took a paper bag from his car. After looking inside, he saw cash in an unsealed envelope, along with a bottle, sweets and biscuits.

“That was when I lost it for the second time,” Šaudys told the court, describing his reaction. He said he was under stress and panic because he worked for a state institution and considered gifts inappropriate.

Šaudys said he initially estimated that the envelope could contain 2,000 euros, but later the amount was determined to be 3,000 euros. He reported the incident to the Second Investigation Department, after which the Military Police and the Special Investigation Service became involved.

He said the money was first kept in his car and later in his office. Military Police officers arrived the next day, measured and photographed the items.

Šaudys testified that he routinely warned company representatives not to attempt to bribe him and said he had no disagreements with Versiculus or complaints about its work. He told the court that he did not understand why anyone would have wanted to bribe him.

Charges in the alleged corruption case have been brought against Versiculus and Gudynas. Neither has yet given evidence in court.

The Special Investigation Service and prosecutors said the evidence collected during the investigation gave grounds to suspect that the bribe was intended to secure favourable treatment from a person considered equivalent to a civil servant when assessing construction work carried out under a public procurement contract with the Ministry of National Defence. The contract is worth more than 1.287 million euros.

Versiculus’ lawyer, Eglė Vėbraitė, told the court that Gudynas was not a decision-maker at the company and argued that the company had no reason to offer a bribe because it had been commissioned to carry out additional work.