Corruption, Legislation, Lithuania

"STT officials today opened another pre-trial investigation and brought suspicions of influence peddling against Panevezys Mayer Rytis Mykolas Rackauskas," Nida Grunskiene, the chief prosecutor in the region of Panevezys, said at a news conference. 

The mayor was detained and had to sign a written undertaking not to leave Panevezys. He was also forbidden from visiting certain places, including the municipality building. 

According to Zydrunas Krampalcas, the head of the STT Panevezys board, the authorities have sufficient grounds to suspect that Rackauskas last year agreed to accept a bribe of 3,000 euros from the president of Lietkabelis, a local basketball club, in exchange for his promise to help the club obtain financial support from the municipality. 

Krampalcas did not disclose the amount of financial support promised to the club. 

This is the second corruption investigation in Panevezys in recent years. 

Last June, a court opened a case in which Rackauskas was charged with giving, through his advisor, unlawful instructions to municipal employees in order to help Lukrecijos Reklama, an advertising agency, win the city's public procurement contracts.  

The case was part of a larger pre-trial investigation into suspected corruption at Panevezys Municipality.