LRT sources deny minister’s claim that agency chief was detained

Lithuania’s Financial Crime Investigation Service searched the office of National Paying Agency director Fortunatas Dirginčius on Thursday, while sources told LRT that he was not detained.

Agriculture Minister Kęstutis Mažeika later suggested that law enforcement may have detained Dirginčius, but LRT sources denied this. They said the only person briefly detained was National Paying Agency deputy director Tomas Orlickas, who has been issued suspicions.

The investigation concerns Orlickas’s activities and the allocation of support to the company Agro Digital Solutions, owned by his mother-in-law, Zita Čepkauskienė. Officers searched the director’s office and seized documents.

“Intensive investigative actions are continuing as part of the pre-trial investigation. As mentioned previously, additional and more detailed information will be provided when this will not harm the success of the ongoing investigation,” Financial Crime Investigation Service spokeswoman Modesta Zdanauskaitė said.

The criminal investigation concerns suspected abuse of official powers to provide unlawful advantages to people participating in European Union projects. Officials are suspected of deliberately failing to perform their duties, potentially causing significant material and non-material damage to Lithuania’s and the EU’s financial interests.

The pre-trial investigation is being organised by European delegated prosecutors in Lithuania.

The National Paying Agency said on Monday that it had suspended Orlickas from his duties on July 15. It said he may have confused public and private interests while carrying out international projects funded from a separate European Commission budget.

The National Paying Agency is subordinate to the Agriculture Ministry. Mažeika said the law enforcement actions showed that the situation was serious and raised questions about the agency’s oversight.

“The situation is serious. The National Paying Agency is an institution entrusted with the major task of administering public and EU funds, so such events raise legitimate questions about the institution’s operations and control,” Mažeika told ELTA on Thursday.

He later told BNS that if law enforcement brought suspicions against agency employees, they would be removed from their duties, including the agency’s managers.