Prosecutors in Lithuania have forwarded a criminal case to the court in which five persons are charged with fraud as part of an organised group. The case also involves fraud charges against one company.
The Lrytas.lt website has reported that suspects include Rimandas Stonys, who owns the Kaunas Combined Heat and Power Plant. He previously also owned the Dujotekana gas trading company, which was once one of the leading importers of gas from Russia’s Gazprom into Lithuania.
Other suspects include Mindaugas Zalimas, who has been convicted several times on fraud and other criminal charges, the portal noted.
Case materials suggest that between August 2020 and May 2021, the company manager, its employees and managers of other companies recorded non-existing operations related to rapeseed and crude rapeseed oil, thus seeking to avoid VAT payments.
It is estimated that the national budget lost more than EUR 1.36 million VAT payments.
If convicted, the suspects could receive sentences up to eight years in prison.
Source: BNS
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