Olekas urges presumption of innocence after searches of deputy

Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas has urged respect for the presumption of innocence after law enforcement searched the homes of politicians from the Nemunas Dawn party, including Deputy Speaker Daiva Žebelienė, LRT reported.

Olekas said he had discussed the situation with Žebelienė by phone and that they agreed to speak in person.

“My colleague says she is right. It is a very unpleasant situation, casting a shadow over the entire parliament. On the other hand, we must also respect a person’s presumption of innocence,” Olekas told journalists at the Seimas on Thursday.

“When a police officer stops someone and checks whether they have been drinking by asking them to blow into a device, that does not mean they are drunk. They are checked; some are found to have committed an offence and are punished, while others are released as innocent,” he said.

The Financial Crimes Investigation Service carried out searches on Tuesday involving five of the party’s 11 board members and lawmakers: Robertas Puchovičius, Kęstutis Bilius, Žebelienė, Lina Šukytė-Korsakė and Tadas Sadauskis. Officers also searched the office of party leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis in Kelmė.

The prosecutor’s office said the searches were part of a previously opened pre-trial investigation into the circumstances surrounding the rental of cars to the Nemunas Dawn party. The investigation is continuing, and no one has been formally suspected.