Bribery charges have been filed against two former employees of the Vilnius County Waste Management Center (VAATC), an intermediary who assisted them, four company representatives, and one waste transportation company.
During the investigation, it was established that from November 2022 to May 2023, at least 162 thousand euros in bribes were handed over to VAATC employees and the intermediary, the Special Investigation Service (STT), Financial Crime Investigation Service (FNTT), and Vilnius District Prosecutor’s Office reported.
The prosecutor of the Organized Crime and Corruption Investigation Division of the Vilnius District Prosecutor’s Office, who organized and led the large-scale pre-trial investigation, drew up an indictment and submitted the criminal case to the Vilnius District Court for trial.
The investigation is related to large-scale bribery, corruption, influence peddling, providing false income data, fraudulent financial accounting, and illegal possession of firearms, ammunition, explosives, or explosive materials.
According to the pre-trial investigation data, VAATC employees, allegedly acting in a group of accomplices and seeking financial gain for themselves and others, regularly accepted bribes from waste management companies to accept waste delivered to the Vilnius regional landfill in violation of regulations.
Some waste was possibly accepted without being weighed or recorded, thus avoiding disposal fees.
According to the investigation, the intermediary handed over more than 105 thousand euros in total to VAATC employees so that they would not record the waste delivered by several companies to the VAATC Kazokiškės landfill site – they did not weigh or account for it.
Read more “Sirenos” dance with “Alisa”: non-malicious dances and live events at the festival opening
During searches, illegally held firearms, ammunition, and explosives were found at one suspect’s place, and this person was charged with this criminal offense as well.
According to the pre-trial investigation data, one waste transportation company did not declare and failed to pay at least 11.8 thousand euros in value-added tax (VAT) and at least 8.4 thousand euros in profit tax to the state budget.
It was also found that this company did not maintain a cash register, and nearly 68 thousand euros in cash were not included in the financial accounting records and corresponding accounting accounts. This distorted the true data about the company’s assets, income, liabilities, and structure.
According to the pre-trial investigation data, another waste sorting company currently bankrupt and being liquidated, by not declaring and failing to pay VAT to the state budget, possibly caused financial damage to the state of no less than 19 thousand euros.
One court decision has already been made in this case; the Vilnius District Court imposed fines totaling over 100 thousand euros on four individuals by criminal order.
Read more Celebrating Panevėžys’ birthday – temporary bus route changes and free rides
