Media groups condemn pressure on 15min over Bankera investigation

Media organisations have condemned pressure on news outlet 15min over its investigation into Bankera’s activities, LRT reports. The outlet’s editor says the journalists behind the investigation are being targeted and their personal data collected. Bankera acknowledges filing complaints with state institutions but denies gathering personal data.

After an investigation by 15min and international partners, law enforcement announced suspicions against the founders of the Bankera financial group over the alleged misappropriation of about 45 million euros in other people’s assets. “None of the claims has been substantively challenged or refuted so far,” 15min editor-in-chief Vaidotas Beniušis said.

15min journalists say Bankera began a public campaign against the newsroom, alleging that the journalists had not presented the company’s responses. Bankera co-founder Vytautas Karalevičius said the company viewed the journalists’ seeking answers on the street as pressure and an attack.

15min investigations editor Jūratė Damulytė said personal details, including personal identification numbers and addresses, had been sought in registers, raising concerns about the journalists’ safety. Bankera lawyer Gintaras Černiauskas said he knew nothing about this and had asked his clients, who also denied knowledge. He said law enforcement should establish who had collected the data and why, if it had happened.

Karalevičius acknowledged knowing the personal identification number of 15min director Tomas Balžekas, saying it was listed on the Bank of Lithuania website in a prospectus for 15min bonds.

The outlet also says it has faced dozens of complaints to various institutions over several months. The Public Information Ethics Commission received four complaints in two months about articles by the 15min group, all from people linked to Bankera. The commission had previously received about one complaint a year. Beniušis said the volume was intended to create a burden, intimidate and exhaust the newsroom, but said it would not silence it.

Bankera does not deny filing complaints. Karalevičius said the company saw this as a response to what it considered the failure to present its opinion. Damulytė said the pressure felt personal rather than focused on the reporting. She said she had worked in journalism for 30 years and had not experienced a situation like this before.

Birutė Davidonytė, chair of the Journalists’ Professional Association, described the approach as a “kill the messenger” tactic intended to discredit journalists and undermine trust in their reporting. The association is calling on law enforcement to help protect journalists. Davidonytė said pressure on the media threatens freedom of speech, which she called a foundation of democracy.

Bankera has been renamed BankingLab Technologies in Lithuania. Karalevičius, who lives in Monaco, and two other Bankera founders are disputing with law enforcement how they should be formally notified of the suspicions. Karalevičius said he does not plan to return to Lithuania soon and declined to say how much money he had spent fighting 15min, saying the situation had cost time, caused stress and harmed the business.