Construction, Legislation, Lithuania, Railways

The Constitutional Court, which accepted the individual complaint for hearing on January 16, will look at the constitutionality of a provision of the Law on the Protection of Objects of Importance to Ensuring National Security, Skinest Baltija said on Monday. 

Under the provision, a person can be considered as not meeting national security interests if they are subject to criminal prosecution but there is no court judgment yet. 

According to Skinest Baltija, this is the first individual complaint outside the criminal law field to be examined by the Lithuanian Constitutional Court. 

"I understand that this is only the first step, but it is a very important one in seeking clarification as to what rules the state authorities and LG follow in reshaping the market according to their understanding and interests," Valdas Rasimas, the company's CEO, said in a statement. 

Skinest was effectively removed from LG's public procurement procedures in 2018 after the government and its commission vetting deals by strategic enterprises and the government did not allow the state railway company to sign contracts with the group.

The government said in a resolution in June 2018 that Ossinovski, Skinest Rail's owner, "maintains relations with institutions of foreign states or natural or legal persons from those states which increase the risk or pose a threat to national security".

Skinest contested the conclusion in Lithuanian courts, but its appeals were dismissed last year.

Last December, Skinest also filed a complaint against Lithuania with the European Commission.