Lithuanian court to hear testimony from Antonov in collapsed Snoras bank case

The Lithuanian Court of Appeals will continue its examination of the criminal case against former shareholders of the collapsed Snoras bank, Vladimiras Antonovas and Raimondas Baranauskas, with Antonovas set to give testimony in a hearing on Tuesday, BNS reports.

Antonovas, who was extradited from France on Monday, requested the right to speak in court as a defendant. Neither the prosecutor nor the lawyers representing Snoras objected to the request. His lawyer, Aivaras Alimas, stated in Monday’s hearing that Antonovas does not dispute the factual circumstances established by the first-instance court and sees no need to repeat the entire investigation, which the Vilnius Regional Court conducted in his absence. However, Antonovas does not agree with all the arguments presented by the first-instance court.

Prosecutor Darius Stankevičius supported the decision to question Antonovas, stating it would help better assess the evidence gathered in the case. Meanwhile, Baranauskas, the other defendant, was not present in court and continues to be tried in absentia. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, an international search for Baranauskas has been ongoing for 15 years, with his last known location being Russia. His lawyer, Alfreda Pūkienė, reiterated to journalists that she has no contact with the convicted individual.

The court is reviewing appeals from Antonovas, Baranauskas, and two other related individuals after the Vilnius Regional Court sentenced them in absentia last November to 10.5 years in prison each. The former Snoras shareholders are charged with large-scale misappropriation of another’s property in an organised group and abuse of office.

As previously reported by BNS, the Vilnius Regional Court convicted Antonovas and Baranauskas in absentia last November for abuse of office, large-scale misappropriation and embezzlement of another’s property, document forgery, fraudulent bankruptcy, money laundering, and fraudulent financial accounting. They were found guilty of eight intentional crimes. Antonovas was also identified as the main organiser of the crimes. Both were ordered to pay €375.18 million in damages and to have €105 million worth of illegally acquired assets confiscated. European arrest warrants were issued for both.

The defence has appealed the regional court’s decision. In his appeal, Antonovas claimed he was unaware of the Vilnius Regional Court’s verdict, had no opportunity to choose a lawyer, and had no contact with the court-appointed attorney, which prevented him from properly preparing a defence strategy in this complex case. Antonovas’s lawyer also requested that the sentence be served pending the court’s decision, but this request has not yet been considered.

It has been reported that Antonovas and Baranauskas misappropriated property worth €509.18 million, causing damages of €466.67 million to Snoras and its creditors, and embezzled an additional €14.5 million.