2024-04-11 03:50:38
According to the president, before deciding on the company’s actions, it is necessary to wait for the results of the customs investigation on the export of goods subject to sanctions to Russia.
“And [“Vičiūnu grupe”] would have left Russia earlier, more decisively, there simply wouldn’t be such accusations,” Nausėda told journalists in Vilnius on Wednesday.
“The delay was too long, and now we will wait for the results of the investigation. If the investigation turns out to be unfavorable to the mayor, then, of course, the mayor will have to draw his own conclusions,” the president said of the mayor of Kaunas, Lithuania’s second largest city, Visvaldas Matijošaiti, who partially owns the “Vičiūnu Group” and who the son is the leader of the group.
“Let’s not rush and throw accusations, first there must be an examination, to check how everything was in reality. The General Prosecutor’s Office has given such an instruction,” the president emphasized.
Matijošaiti and his business partner Ludas Skieru equally own the company “VG Holding”, which is the owner of “Vičiūnu Group”. “Vičiūnu Group” owns the brand “Viči”.
The investigative journalism department of the Lithuanian public broadcaster LRT published information on Tuesday that the “Vičiūnu Group” company “Plunges kooperatine prekyba” has transported goods subject to sanctions to Russia at least 11 times since the beginning of Russia’s repeated invasion of Ukraine, and five times the goods were transported already after the specific the product code was included in the sanctions lists of the European Union.
The recipient of all these goods was the “Vičiūnai-Rus” subsidiary of the “Vičiūnai Group” factory in Tilzite, an exclave of Königsberg (Karalyņi), which was renamed Sovetsk during the Soviet era.
“Vičiūnu Group” admitted that it had transported such goods, but claimed that it did not know about the sanctions. The export of the specific goods was allegedly stopped as soon as the restrictions became known and an internal investigation was started.
The Klaipeda Prosecutor’s Office on Tuesday instructed the Klaipeda Division of the Customs Criminal Service to investigate whether the company has violated international sanctions imposed on Russia.
Nausėda has previously said that the “Vičiūna group” that does not leave Russia causes not only reputational, but also political damage, and that Matijošaitis himself is vulnerable in this situation. He said that although political evaluations of the group’s actions have been expressed several times, arguments are still being found that it cannot properly leave Russia because it would mean “very big losses”.
However, on Wednesday he admitted that “Vičiūnu Group” has been trying to sell its assets in Russia for some time.
“For obvious reasons, they fail to do so. Russia, knowing the situation the company is in, has of course created such conditions that, as far as I understand, they want to almost nationalize the company,” Nausėda said.
The media reported on Monday that “Vičiūnai Group” is preparing to sell its subsidiary “Vičiūnai-Rus” to the company related to the Russian fish and seafood importer Unifrost.
Earlier, it was also reported that Rolans Ozarinsks, Deputy Director General of “Vičiūnai-Rus” and Edgars Pečulis, head of supplies, met with the Minister of Food Industry of Cuba and his representatives in Moscow last April. The company of the Lithuanian group was hailed as the pride of the Russian food industry.
That is why there were proposals among politicians to ban the “Vičiūnu Group” from participating in Lithuanian public procurement.
Due to its activities in Russia, Ukraine has included the “Vichiuna Group” in the list of international war sponsors.
2024-04-11 03:50:38