Krašto apsaugos official accused of taking bribe from Versiculus shareholder

Lithuanian prosecutors have sent to court a case alleging that a defence ministry official accepted a €3,000 bribe from a shareholder of the construction firm Versiculus.

According to information gathered by BNS from the Central Public Procurement Portal and anonymous sources, the alleged bribe was paid in December 2024 by Evaldas Gudynas, who owns one-third of Versiculus, to a defence system employee. The funds were reportedly offered in exchange for favourable evaluation of construction work carried out under a public contract with the Defence Ministry’s Logistics Command.

The contract in question, worth more than €1.28 million, was signed between Versiculus and the Defence Ministry’s Garrison Service Unit. Prosecutors have charged Gudynas and the unnamed Vilnius-based company with bribery, and the case has been forwarded to the Kaunas District Court.

Versiculus reported €2.4 million in revenue for 2024, a 33.3 per cent increase over the previous year. The company earned €207,000 in net profit in 2024, a 20.4 per cent decrease from 2023.

The Defence Ministry said it received a whistle-blower report in December 2024 about the alleged bribe offer and that the employee involved reported the incident internally. Defence Minister Robertas Kaunas stated that the case demonstrated the ministry’s resilience against corruption and that the employee’s conduct should serve as an example.

Under the Lithuanian Criminal Code, bribery is punishable by fines, restrictions on liberty, arrest or imprisonment of up to four years.