Both the Lithuanian postal service and the Vilnius municipal government recieved black eyes today from corruption allegations. Graphic by Baltic Reports.

VILNIUS — The arrest of a post official yesterday and the unveiling of new evidence against a former vice-mayor are stark examples of the endemic corruption Lithuania faces. Whether its bribes, special favors or misappropriating taxpayer funds the corruption cases of numerous public officials were all over the country’s news the past few days.

Euros pay for tender

Algirdas Balčiūnas, the Lithuanian Post maintenance director and head of the post’s public procurement commission was arrested with Dangis Savickas, the director the Transmitto transportation company who allegedly gave Balčiūnas a bribe of €10,200 yesterday morning. After one hour of the alleged bribe-giving, both parties involved were arrested at their workplaces and detained after searches.

Officials at the Special Investigation Service, the state’s anti-corruption branch, suspect that the money was allegedly given for winning of public procurement tender, which involved the sale of 14 mobile post vehicles.

On Sept. 4, Vilnius 2nd district court confirmed the arrest of 10 days in case of Balčiūnas but did not approve of the Savickas’ arrest. The investigation of Balčiūnas has been ongoing since 2007 and has involved telephone tapping that might prove his guilt.

Vice-mayor caught on tape

Secretly recorded conversations also made the main news this week in the case of former Vilnius vice-mayor, Evaldas Lementauskas, heard by Vilnius’ 1st district court.

The court heard the first out of 10 available taped conversations today, a meeting with Conservative Vidas Urbonavičius at one of the Vilniaus Vartai restaurants in 2007. Lementauskas, from the Order and Justice Party, allegedly asked “What is the price?” for the Urbonavičius’ support of the then-minority government.

Lementauskas is accused of trying to bribe Urbonavičius and suggesting a sum around half a million litas (€144,810).

Transparency Int. Lithuania: crisis leads to corruption

Sergej Muravjov is the executive director of Transparency International in Lithuania, a nonprofit organization committed to fighting official corruption. Muravjov told Baltic Reports the arrest of a senior official like Balčiūnas shows that the state’s anti-corruption efforts are working.

“However, it is not enough to do your work at the time of crisis — the capacities must be increased“ Muravjov asserted, pointing out that all his organization’s research research shows that faced with economic difficulties people start trying to deceive the state. Lithuania’s recent tax hikes must be followed by increased transparency, Muravjov said.

Muravjov is adamant about the necessity of amendment or adoption of certain laws. For example, Transparency International advocates that residents reporting on corruption should have not just the possibility to make an anonymous call, but that they receive further protection by a specific law on safeguarding of such whistle-blowers.

In regards to the case of Lementauskas, Muravjov said he would not want to comment on the guilt of the accused. However, he said that in times like these, the people trust less in words and need to see some action to believe that the system is working.

“There is a need for such cases in Lithuania, so the society itself can realize that state institutions can be trusted” Muravjov told Baltic Reports.

Lithuania’s ranking in Transparency International’s corruption perception index has not changed for the last eight years.

The headlines show it. The Lementauskas and Balčiūnas developments were hardly the only public corruption stories in the Lithuanian media this week. Seimas members are under scrutiny for indulging in frivolous personal expenses with taxpayer’s money, the Speaker of the Seimas has been asked to resign on allegations of aiding criminals and the Social Democrats have called for an investigation of the National Resurrection Party for connections to criminals.