2024-07-08 01:25:07
V. Uspaskich himself calls such rumors an expression of the opponents’ panic.
“They have reason to fear if Viktor returns,” V. Uspaskich told Elta.
It is not ruled out that V. Uspaskich seeks to secure legal immunity
As ELTA has previously announced, at the beginning of April, the headquarters of the Labor Party was searched by the officers of the Financial Crimes Investigation Service (FNTT) in connection with the investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. It cannot be ruled out that this investigation is related to V. Uspaskich. After these law enforcement actions, the politician suspended his membership in the Labor Party. So far, no suspicions have been brought against the “worker”.
V. Uspaskich, as a member of the European Parliament (EP), still enjoys legal immunity, which protects the parliamentarian from prosecution. V. Uspaskich will lose such legal protection, because he was not re-elected to the EP.
Politicians do not rule out interviewing Elta – V. Uspaskich may sense that he will receive suspicions from the law enforcement, so securing legal immunity would not be an issue for him. Yes, according to members of the Seimas, the “worker” would at least slow down the legal proceedings.
“I think Viktor Uspaskich would really like to have that immunity and play that game again – we’ve seen what he’s done many times. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why he returns to politics and assembles a coalition of such pro-Russian forces,” Andrius Vyšniauskas, the elder of the conservative faction in the Seimas, told Elta.
“There is an option to preserve legal immunity. If the law enforcement does not have time to present any suspicions by October – would Uspaskich become a member of the Seimas if they were presented – further actions should be suspended until a separate permission is given by the Seimas. In the Seimas, in the last term, we have seen that family members were not deprived of their legal immunity – for example, the same Gražulis”, reasoned Eugenijus Gentvilas, representative of the Liberal Movement.
“He may have hope – it has been the case in practice,” he noted.
E. Gentvilas admitted that he had also heard talk about such scenarios from some “workers”.
“The members of the Labor Party themselves, some of whom I know – both in the Seimas and outside the Seimas – speak half-heartedly about such a version. This is where the sacrificial narrative that Victor has turned on may seem convincing to people. But to the people in the closer environment, this does not seem like the main narrative,” said the member of the Seimas.
“I also heard this from colleagues who are loosely connected to the Labor Party – that such a scenario was being drawn, that one of the ways to somehow avoid the loss of legal immunity is to become a member of the Seimas, to return to politics,” seconded the chairman of the Democratic Union “Vardan Lietuvos” Saulius Skvernelis.
If the Labor Party is in the ruling majority, V. Uspaskich can resort to blackmail
The legal immunity of a member of the Seimas can be abolished by the parliament – such a decision was taken by the parliament in the case of V. Uspaskich and in the case of the so-called black bookkeeping.
However, the politicians remind us that there were several cases when the Seimas made the opposite decisions when the prosecutor’s office asked to bring the parliamentarian to criminal responsibility.
Therefore, it cannot be ruled out that similar things may happen in the case of V. Uspaskich – especially if the party led by the MEP will be in the future ruling majority.
“Let’s imagine a left-of-center Government, which also includes a faction of the Labor Party. Would there be anything to replace them with? It is impossible to predict, because the Labor Party may not even enter the Seimas, who knows. We are talking abstractly, but believably,” said E. Gentvilas, an elder of the Liberal faction.
“In my mind, we can see the following situation – if Viktor Uspaskich manages to assemble a coalition of pro-Russian forces with Puidoks, Tutkus, Trat and all kinds of other political marginals, if they manage to get into the Seimas, they can be a significant enough player in the political field. (…) I think that Uspaskich is targeting the electorate of Eduard Vaitkaus and understands that if he achieves such a number of votes, it is practically impossible to form a coalition on the left without him. In this way, he has the possibility of blackmailing the coalition of the left – you want to keep power, you want to be in power, you have to ensure my inviolability”, continued A. Vyšniauskas.
At that time, ex-prime minister S. Skvernelis, although he does not rule out that V. Uspaskich has personal considerations regarding participation in the Seimas elections, he evaluates such an opportunity somewhat with reservations.
“After becoming a member of the Seimas, if he gets into the Seimas, will his inviolability be destroyed… Everything happens in the Seimas. Hypothetically, it would depend on the survival of some kind of majority. Such a plan is definitely possible, it should not be rejected. But I would still think that the comeback is happening because the party is really sinking. This is Viktor’s baby, he came back to rescue more than once”, said the chairman of “Vardan Lietuvos”.
Labor party founder: If Victor is coming back, they have reason to fear
V. Uspaskich himself did not particularly want to comment on the rumors about him circulating in the Seimas corridors. When Elta inquired about the politician’s position, the founder of the Labor Party assured that he did not want to waste his precious time evaluating the thoughts of his opponents.
“You with those children and talk, who talk there in the children’s sandbox. What, you want me to waste my precious time talking to you about what my opponents are saying? I am not interested in what they are saying,” V. Uspaskich told Elta, emphasizing that the rumors are absolutely false.
“Let them think about themselves – they are all panickers over there,” he criticized his political opponents.
However, V. Uspaskich also did not specifically answer whether he will participate in the Seimas elections in the fall. According to him, there is no such solution today.
“About my going to the Seimas – when the decision is made, I will announce it then. There is no solution now. Now the decision is that I am not going to seek the mandate of the Seimas. And that’s it. And when you eat today, you won’t eat tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow you want to eat again. As it will be, so it will be,” he continued.
“They have reason to fear if Viktor returns,” the politician added, probably referring to aspects of political competition.
ELTA reminds that V. Uspaskich, who suspended his active activities and membership in the Labor Party several times, returned to the ranks of the political force on Tuesday. The politician, who is ending his term in the European Parliament, renewed his membership and was appointed temporary chairman. V. Uspaskich will also head the negotiation group that will negotiate with other parties regarding a possible coalition for the Seimas elections.
Seimas elections will be held on October 13 this year.
2024-07-08 01:25:07