“Certain names were given in the meeting,” Kęstutis Budrys, chief security adviser to the president, told TV3 TV on Monday evening.
“The president’s reaction was that he would not leave it as simple as that, because clarity was needed. The minister did not say he found something illicit in general. He was very specific – certain individuals, interests, companies,” the adviser added.
The president will see the head of the Special Investigation Service (STT) and the prosecutor general before meeting a candidate for the next defence minister, according to Budrys.
“They will discuss both possible specific cases and the overall management of anti-corruption risks in the national defence system,” he said.
Several candidates have been reported as fit to replace outgoing Anušauskas. Nausėda first intends to meet with MP Laurynas Kasčiūnas, the current chair of the Seimas Committee on National Security and Defence. Their meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.
National Defence Minister Anušauskas unexpectedly announced his resignation on Friday, 15 March. He stated that the prime minister offered him to lead a parliamentary committee while an MP would replace him as defence minister. Anušauskas disagreed with the proposal and handed in his resignation.
After the meeting with the president on Saturday, Anušauskas hinted at corruption in the national defence system, saying there had been cases of “egregious interference in public tenders.”
The STT commented afterwards that the National Defence Ministry in February informed the anticorruption agency about MP Raimundas Lopata sending questions to the ministry regarding public procurement it had organised. The agency said it is assessing the information but a pre-trial investigation has not been opened and there are no suspects. The STT said it received no reports from the ministry about attempts to bribe its employees overseeing public tenders or any pressure on them.
