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Lithuanian Court to Hear MP's Appeal Against Ankle Monitor
๐Ÿ‡ฑ๐Ÿ‡น Lithuania /Crime & Justice

Lithuanian Court to Hear MP's Appeal Against Ankle Monitor

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • The Kaunas Regional Court will hear an appeal by Lithuanian MP Saulius Skvernelis against wearing an electronic ankle monitor.
  • The appeal was initially scheduled for the Vilnius Regional Court but was transferred after judges recused themselves.
  • Skvernelis faces charges related to alleged corruption in the Agricultural Inspectorate, including bribery.

Lithuanian lawmaker Saulius Skvernelis will have his appeal against wearing an electronic ankle monitor heard by the Kaunas Regional Court. The case was transferred after judges at the Vilnius Regional Court recused themselves, following requests for their disqualification.

The complaint has been transferred to the Kaunas Regional Court for consideration.

โ€” Venta Valฤackienฤ—Spokesperson for the Court of Appeal, confirming the transfer of Skvernelis's appeal.

Skvernelis's lawyer filed the appeal against the pre-trial detention measure, which requires the former leader of the Democratic Union "For Lithuania" to wear an electronic monitoring device. He has denied wrongdoing and stated he disagrees with the court's decision.

The charges against Skvernelis stem from an investigation into alleged corruption within the Agricultural Inspectorate. He was formally suspected of bribery in April. The investigation has led to the detention of 15 individuals and the seizure of significant assets, including over 1.3 million euros in cash, gold, cigarettes, alcohol, cocaine, and explosives.

Requests were received to disqualify the judge. The judge recused herself.

โ€” Lina Nemeikaitฤ—Spokesperson for the Vilnius Regional Court, explaining the reason for the initial court's inability to hear the appeal.

Previously, Skvernelis was granted a temporary exemption from wearing the ankle monitor for a short period. The probe into large-scale corruption at the Inspectorate began in December, with searches conducted at Skvernelis's home and office in February.

I do not agree with the decision to order me to wear an ankle monitor.

โ€” Saulius SkvernelisStating his disagreement with the court's order and his decision to appeal.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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