Sinkevičius says pressure must not deter investigative journalists

Lithuanian Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevičius said he hoped pressure faced by journalists and managers at news outlet 15min after its investigation into the Bankera financial group would not discourage investigative reporting, LRT reported.

“I hope this will not break journalists, editors or media groups, or make them afraid to take on important issues in the future,” Sinkevičius told BNS. He said journalists who work honestly and follow professional ethics should be able to defend themselves and their reputation alongside their managers, media groups and owners.

15min said last week that it had faced various forms of pressure following investigations it published last year. The outlet said information about its staff and their family members had been collected without justification, they had been followed at events, and misleading material had been published on a newly created website and on social media, with outdoor advertising purchased to promote it.

The outlet also said it had received dozens of complaints and legal claims, and had been reported to several bodies, including the Lithuanian Bank, the media ethics inspector and the Ministry of Culture. Media organisations said the situation bore the hallmarks of a so-called strategic lawsuit against public participation, or SLAPP, in which a flood of complaints, claims and cases is used to intimidate and financially exhaust media rather than seek justice.

In its investigation with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project, 15min reported that tens of millions of euros raised through Bankera cryptocurrency tokens seven years earlier ended up at Pacific Private Bank, which was acquired by Bankera founders Vytautas Karalevičius, Mantas Mockevičius and Justas Dobiliauskas. The report said some of the money was later transferred through loans to accounts belonging to the founders and companies linked to them, which were used to acquire luxury real estate.

Law enforcement authorities conducting a pre-trial investigation are preparing to name the founders as suspects in the alleged embezzlement of more than 45 million euros.