VILNIUS — A former bank head and ambassador of Lithuania has been implicated in a scam to steal 22.5 million litai (€6.5 million) from the European Union.

Police say fictitious companies with fake directors were set up to take grants from the National Payment Agency, the EU’s distributor of funds in the country. The EU has poured millions of euros into the country since it joined the bloc in an effort to raise the standard of living in the country, but some criminals are bent on sabotaging the process in [private_supervisor]return for personal gain.

The Lithuanian Financial Crime Investigation Service has implicated former ambassador to Kazakhstan and former head of the Bank of Lithuania Romualdas Visokavičius among others.

The EU allocated 22.5 million litai to the alleged fraudsters, which they were supposed to use to set up a fish products company. The company was registered in an abandoned building and run by non-existent staff, TV3 reported.

Visokavičius, who has been implicated in similar cases in the past and acquitted, denied the claims.

“I can say that this is some kind of error, and this is nonsense,” Visokavičius told the press.

One of Visokavičius’ alleged sidekicks in the affair, businessman Egidijus Gesevičius, has been arrested by Lithuanian police.

Both the Financial Crime Investigation Service and the General Prosecutor’s Office, which is investigating the case, were unwilling to comment further when contacted by Baltic Reports.

Visokavičius was also the chairman of the board of the Lithuanian Savings Bank from 1997 to 2000. [/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]return for personal gain.

The Lithuanian Financial Crime Investigation Service has implicated former ambassador to Kazakhstan and former head of the Bank of Lithuania Romualdas Visokavičius among others.

The EU allocated 22.5 million litai to the alleged fraudsters, which they were supposed to use to set up a fish products company. The company was registered in an abandoned building and run by non-existent staff, TV3 reported.

Visokavičius, who has been implicated in similar cases in the past and acquitted, denied the claims.

“I can say that this is some kind of error, and this is nonsense,” Visokavičius told the press.

One of Visokavičius’ alleged sidekicks in the affair, businessman Egidijus Gesevičius, has been arrested by Lithuanian police.

Both the Financial Crime Investigation Service and the General Prosecutor’s Office, which is investigating the case, were unwilling to comment further when contacted by Baltic Reports.

Visokavičius was also the chairman of the board of the Lithuanian Savings Bank from 1997 to 2000. [/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]return for personal gain.

The Lithuanian Financial Crime Investigation Service has implicated former ambassador to Kazakhstan and former head of the Bank of Lithuania Romualdas Visokavičius among others.

The EU allocated 22.5 million litai to the alleged fraudsters, which they were supposed to use to set up a fish products company. The company was registered in an abandoned building and run by non-existent staff, TV3 reported.

Visokavičius, who has been implicated in similar cases in the past and acquitted, denied the claims.

“I can say that this is some kind of error, and this is nonsense,” Visokavičius told the press.

One of Visokavičius’ alleged sidekicks in the affair, businessman Egidijus Gesevičius, has been arrested by Lithuanian police.

Both the Financial Crime Investigation Service and the General Prosecutor’s Office, which is investigating the case, were unwilling to comment further when contacted by Baltic Reports.

Visokavičius was also the chairman of the board of the Lithuanian Savings Bank from 1997 to 2000. [/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]return for personal gain.

The Lithuanian Financial Crime Investigation Service has implicated former ambassador to Kazakhstan and former head of the Bank of Lithuania Romualdas Visokavičius among others.

The EU allocated 22.5 million litai to the alleged fraudsters, which they were supposed to use to set up a fish products company. The company was registered in an abandoned building and run by non-existent staff, TV3 reported.

Visokavičius, who has been implicated in similar cases in the past and acquitted, denied the claims.

“I can say that this is some kind of error, and this is nonsense,” Visokavičius told the press.

One of Visokavičius’ alleged sidekicks in the affair, businessman Egidijus Gesevičius, has been arrested by Lithuanian police.

Both the Financial Crime Investigation Service and the General Prosecutor’s Office, which is investigating the case, were unwilling to comment further when contacted by Baltic Reports.

Visokavičius was also the chairman of the board of the Lithuanian Savings Bank from 1997 to 2000. [/private_subscription 1 year]

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