DistantNews
Starkevičius took bribe – Šimonytė's reaction: If the person confessed, I think it mitigates responsibility
🇱🇹 Lithuania /Crime & Justice

Starkevičius took bribe – Šimonytė's reaction: If the person confessed, I think it mitigates responsibility

From Delfi · (14m ago) Lithuanian Critical tone

Translated from Lithuanian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė commented on the bribery case involving Kazys Starkevičius, a former minister.
  • Šimonytė suggested that Starkevičius's confession might mitigate his responsibility, emphasizing that the fact of him taking a bribe is more shocking than his admission.
  • She stated she had no specific concerns about Starkevičius when he was appointed in July 2024 and sees no reason to link the case to the TS-LKD party.

Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė has weighed in on the bribery allegations surrounding former minister Kazys Starkevičius, offering a perspective that acknowledges the gravity of the situation while also considering the implications of a confession. "If a person has done something and confessed, I think it mitigates his responsibility. What is more shocking is the fact that it happened, that he took [the bribe], not that he confessed," Šimonytė stated, as reported by LNK news. This nuanced view suggests a belief that cooperation with authorities, while not erasing the offense, could be a factor in the legal process.

Jei žmogus kažką padarė ir prisipažino, man atrodo, tai lengvina jo atsakomybę. Labiau šokiruoja tas faktas, kad taip atsitiko, kad paėmė [kyšį], o ne tai, kad prisipažino

— Ingrida ŠimonytėPrime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė commenting on Kazys Starkevičius's confession in a bribery case.

Šimonytė also addressed her own role and awareness concerning Starkevičius's appointment as Minister of Agriculture in August 2024. She asserted that she possessed no specific information or concerns about him at the time of his nomination. Furthermore, when questioned about potential links between the bribery case and the Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD) party, to which both Starkevičius and party chairman Laurynas Kasčiūnas belong, Šimonytė declared, "I have no reason to say that this case is in any way related to 'Tėvynės sąjunga' as a party."

Kažkokios konkrečios informacijos, konkrečių pastabų, konkrečių nuogastavimų ar, sakykim, dėl tos institucijos, ar dėl Kazio Starkevičiaus skiriant jį į pareigas 2024 metų liepos mėnesį, tikrai neturėjau

— I. ŠimonytėIngrida Šimonytė stating she had no prior concerns about Kazys Starkevičius before his appointment.

Laurynas Kasčiūnas, the chairman of TS-LKD, also reacted to the news, expressing his shock. The ongoing investigation, which has already seen multiple arrests and the seizure of significant amounts of cash and gold, centers on allegations of systematic bribery within the State Plant Service (VAT) for issuing phytosanitary certificates. The case has cast a shadow over the political landscape, and the Prime Minister's comments reflect an attempt to navigate the public and political fallout while maintaining confidence in the judicial process and the party's integrity.

Ar galima, pavyzdžiui, šiuo atveju pasakyti, kad šita byla kažkaip susijusi su „Tėvynės sąjunga“, kaip su partija, aš neturiu jokio pagrindo taip sakyti

— I. ŠimonytėIngrida Šimonytė denying any reason to believe the bribery case is linked to the TS-LKD party.
DistantNews Editorial

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

More Stories

From Our Blog