Саулюс Сквернялис. Фото: Facebook
Lithuanian politician and MP Saulius Skvernelis said he had been invited to Belarus. He said he received two emails from a purported Belarusian journalist offering him the chance to leave Lithuania because of “political persecution”.
Saulius Skvernelis previously served as Lithuania’s prime minister and was also the leader of the Democratic Union “For Lithuania” party. He is now a rank-and-file member of the Seimas and a suspect in a corruption case. He is required to wear an electronic bracelet fitted by law enforcement authorities, which has already caused awkward situations for him in parliament when the device was triggered inside the building and forced the MP to leave sittings.
Skvernelis said the offers had been made before he was charged and before the Seimas stripped him of immunity in connection with the case.
“I was invited to come to Belarus — seriously. I received two emails from a Belarusian citizen, a journalist. This was before all the proceedings here, before I was named a suspect. They wrote that, according to their information, I was under suspicion, that political persecution would begin, and therefore they were inviting me to Belarus, where all the necessary conditions and opportunities would be created and resources and finances would be provided for me and my family”, the politician said, according to Delfi.
Skvernelis added that he regarded the emails as a provocation and forwarded them to the State Security Department. The department confirmed that it had received a report from the politician but declined to comment.
Skvernelis was ordered by a court to wear the electronic bracelet because of a “formal violation”, as he described it. According to unofficial information in the Lithuanian media, the reason was his contact with another suspect in the case.
It should be noted that controversial activist and businessman Antanas Kandrotas (Celofanas), who is accused of financial crimes, recently fled to Belarus. Pro-Russian activists from Lithuania and Latvia have also found refuge in Belarus. In addition, Polish judge Tomasz Szmydt, who had legal troubles, fled to Minsk.