Prosecutor’s office launches probe into Vičiūnai Group amid reports of sanction violations
The investigation is carried out by officers of the Customs Criminal Service in Klaipėda under supervision of the Klaipėda Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
The LRT national broadcaster reported Tuesday that Plungės kooperatinė prekyba, part of Vičiūnai Group, at least 11 times transported sanctioned goods from Lithuania to Vičiūnai-Rus, another company of the group based in Russia’s Kaliningrad Region.
High priority goods and technologies classified as battlefield items were reportedly exported from Lithuania to Russia. Vičiūnai admitted to have transported these items to Russia but claimed to be unaware about sanctions.
On Thursday afternoon, Vičiūnai Group rejected the media reports and said the goods it carried to its company in the Kaliningrad Region were intended for the maintenance of food equipment in the plant.
“We strongly deny the information in the media that the spare parts in question are for military use. These are maintenance parts used for the technical support of our food production facilities and have never been resold outside from the Vičiūnai Group,” Vilma Veverskė, head of the group’s communications, said in a comment to ELTA.
The group is carrying an internal investigation and will cooperate with all the authorities to dismiss all the allegations, she added.