FNTT searches homes of five Nemuno Aušra board members

Law enforcement officials searched the homes of five of the 11 board members of the Nemuno Aušra party on Tuesday morning, LRT reported, citing the 15min news portal and BNS sources.

The searches are being carried out by Lithuania’s Financial Crime Investigation Service. According to 15min, the officials’ attention is focused on politicians Robertas Puchovičius, Kęstutis Bilius and Daiva Žebelienė.

BNS was unable to reach the three politicians or Nemuno Aušra leader Remigijus Žemaitaitis for comment.

Prosecutor General Nida Grunskienė declined to comment on the circumstances related to the searches. Representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Financial Crime Investigation Service had not responded to inquiries by the time of publication.

It was not immediately clear which pretrial investigation the searches were part of. 15min reported that the investigation concerned the party’s finances.

The Financial Crime Investigation Service is already known to be investigating the circumstances surrounding car rentals for Nemuno Aušra. As part of that investigation, searches were carried out in May at the workplace and home of Žemaitaitis, as well as at the workplace and home of party board member Daiva Petkevičienė and at the party’s headquarters.