As announced by the Prosecutor General's Office, following a detailed assessment of the initial data, a pre-trial investigation into human trafficking has been launched.
„ Currently, publicly available information is being assessed, the legal framework is being analysed, and data is being exchanged with partners. Officials are urging individuals with valuable information or victims of these possible criminal acts to contact law enforcement,“ according to a joint press release from the prosecutor's office and the police.
The Panevėžys County Police Headquarters are conducting the pre-trial investigation, which is being organised, coordinated, and supervised by the Panevėžys District Prosecutor's Office.
The Criminal Code stipulates that anyone who has sold, purchased, otherwise transferred or acquired, recruited, transported or held a person captive using physical violence or threats shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of 3 to 10 years.
ELTA reminds us that on Friday, the US Department of Justice released more than three million pages of documents related to the Epstein case, along with photos and videos.
Previous disclosures of documents have revealed Epstein's connections to prominent business leaders, celebrities, scientists, and politicians, including US President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
The name of Lithuania is mentioned more than 1,200 times in the published documents, and Vilnius more than 1,000 times.
The documents in the Epstein case show a request dated January 20, 2017, to transfer EUR 75,000 to an SEB bank account registered in Lithuania. The recipient was the company UAB Fors Projektai.
According to the portal Lrt.lt, the transfer details published in the documents show that in 2018, NPO Baleto Teatras received USD 18,493, and VSJ Baleto Teatras received another USD 10,000 transfer. The money was transferred by the Gratitude America MMD foundation, headed by Epstein. The public institution Baleto Teatras is headed by Lithuanian event organiser and producer Valdas Petreikis, and the institution is registered in Vilnius at M. Daukšos Street 3–4.
According to documents published by the Delfi news portal, Petreikis' wife, Simona Petreikė, is also mentioned as having received financial support for her studies. The records indicate that after Epstein's death, Petreikė was named the beneficiary of a USD 3 million inheritance.
Petreikis himself told the portal that he was acquainted with Epstein and that their relationship was social and professional. The event organiser claimed that he was unaware of Epstein's criminal activities. Petreikis did not deny that his wife was the beneficiary of Epstein's estate. Still, they added that after learning about the crimes committed by Epstein, accepting the inheritance was out of the question.
On Monday, Petreikis announced in a public statement that he was ceasing his activities as an organiser of concerts and cultural events.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 for sexually abusing underage girls, but he only spent 13 months in prison. In 2019, he was arrested again and charged with human trafficking. That same year, he committed suicide in his prison cell.