Фото: vsd.lt
Lithuania’s State Security Department (VSD) declared 22 Belarusian citizens a threat to national security. The materials concerning them were handed over to the Migration Department. As a result, the temporary residence permits of all 22 were revoked, they were expelled from Lithuania and banned from entering the Schengen Area for five years.
“The citizens expelled from Lithuania worked for a company involved in a project of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), which fraudulently obtained almost €500,000”, the VSD said in a statement.
It was reported last week that a Lithuanian court found two Belarusian citizens, a father and son, as well as a company controlled by them, guilty of fraud involving a European Union subsidy. The case concerned a project to develop high-precision satellite navigation receivers for agriculture.
The investigation uncovered the suspects’ links to the Russian and Belarusian military industries. To receive funding, the company had to provide EUSPA with a declaration stating that it was not subject to EU sanctions and had no ties to sanctioned individuals or organizations. The suspects pleaded guilty and compensated the damages. They were fined. The company they controlled was also fined.