KAUNAS, Lithuania — The general prosecutor’s office is initiating a criminal investigation into the mayor of Kaunas, Lithuania’s second-largest city, for allegedly falsifying city council vote records to change disputed municipal policies.

The investigation was initiated by suspicions that the merger of two municipal hospitals, Kaunas Second Clinical Hospital and Kaunas Red Cross Hospital, was taking place even though the council voted down a proposed merger in April because [private_supervisor]Mayor Andrius Kupčinskas changed the meeting record to show a vote in favor of the merger.

Although Kupčinskas faces very vocal opposition on the council from the Social Democrat opposition, who have called for an interpellation against him several times for other matters, no members of the city council are publicly disputing the hospital vote and the Kaunas District Prosecutor’s Office already looked into the case and decided there was no malfeasance in June.

Regardless, the general prosecutor’s office is moving ahead with the pre-trial investigation of Kupčinskas, after the head of the pre-trial investigation department Zenonas Burokas overruled the Kaunas District’s decision.

“Burokas overruled the Kaunas District’s decision and has begun an investigation into the abuse of office and falsification of documents,”Aurelija Juodytė, spokeswoman for the general prosecutor’s office told Baltic News Service on Tuesday.

Kupčinskas lashed out at the general prosecutor’s decision, saying the investigation is politically motivated and that special interests involved in the management of the two hospitals is behind it.

“This process is strongly politicized … I suspect the interest groups are attempting to stop the process using all available legal means,” Kupčinskas said in a statement to the press. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]Mayor Andrius Kupčinskas changed the meeting record to show a vote in favor of the merger.

Although Kupčinskas faces very vocal opposition on the council from the Social Democrat opposition, who have called for an interpellation against him several times for other matters, no members of the city council are publicly disputing the hospital vote and the Kaunas District Prosecutor’s Office already looked into the case and decided there was no malfeasance in June.

Regardless, the general prosecutor’s office is moving ahead with the pre-trial investigation of Kupčinskas, after the head of the pre-trial investigation department Zenonas Burokas overruled the Kaunas District’s decision.

“Burokas overruled the Kaunas District’s decision and has begun an investigation into the abuse of office and falsification of documents,”Aurelija Juodytė, spokeswoman for the general prosecutor’s office told Baltic News Service on Tuesday.

Kupčinskas lashed out at the general prosecutor’s decision, saying the investigation is politically motivated and that special interests involved in the management of the two hospitals is behind it.

“This process is strongly politicized … I suspect the interest groups are attempting to stop the process using all available legal means,” Kupčinskas said in a statement to the press. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]Mayor Andrius Kupčinskas changed the meeting record to show a vote in favor of the merger.

Although Kupčinskas faces very vocal opposition on the council from the Social Democrat opposition, who have called for an interpellation against him several times for other matters, no members of the city council are publicly disputing the hospital vote and the Kaunas District Prosecutor’s Office already looked into the case and decided there was no malfeasance in June.

Regardless, the general prosecutor’s office is moving ahead with the pre-trial investigation of Kupčinskas, after the head of the pre-trial investigation department Zenonas Burokas overruled the Kaunas District’s decision.

“Burokas overruled the Kaunas District’s decision and has begun an investigation into the abuse of office and falsification of documents,”Aurelija Juodytė, spokeswoman for the general prosecutor’s office told Baltic News Service on Tuesday.

Kupčinskas lashed out at the general prosecutor’s decision, saying the investigation is politically motivated and that special interests involved in the management of the two hospitals is behind it.

“This process is strongly politicized … I suspect the interest groups are attempting to stop the process using all available legal means,” Kupčinskas said in a statement to the press. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]Mayor Andrius Kupčinskas changed the meeting record to show a vote in favor of the merger.

Although Kupčinskas faces very vocal opposition on the council from the Social Democrat opposition, who have called for an interpellation against him several times for other matters, no members of the city council are publicly disputing the hospital vote and the Kaunas District Prosecutor’s Office already looked into the case and decided there was no malfeasance in June.

Regardless, the general prosecutor’s office is moving ahead with the pre-trial investigation of Kupčinskas, after the head of the pre-trial investigation department Zenonas Burokas overruled the Kaunas District’s decision.

“Burokas overruled the Kaunas District’s decision and has begun an investigation into the abuse of office and falsification of documents,”Aurelija Juodytė, spokeswoman for the general prosecutor’s office told Baltic News Service on Tuesday.

Kupčinskas lashed out at the general prosecutor’s decision, saying the investigation is politically motivated and that special interests involved in the management of the two hospitals is behind it.

“This process is strongly politicized … I suspect the interest groups are attempting to stop the process using all available legal means,” Kupčinskas said in a statement to the press. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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