According to the website, a bribe of up to 20,000 euros may have been handed over to the former Minister of Agriculture as early as October 2025.
„I feel a great sense of relief; I’ve been freed from the burden that had been weighing on me. It was the biggest mistake of my life, a lapse of judgment,“ Starkevičius revealed to the portal.
It is reported that the money may have been handed over to the politician by businessman Danielis Krinickis, who is linked to the former head of the State Plant Service, Igoris Kornijenka.
Susiję straipsniai
The envelope containing the money was likely left in the Seimas dormitory.
According to 15min sources, Starkevičius handed the money over to investigators on his own initiative.
ELTA notes that last December, during an investigation into large-scale corruption at the State Plant Service (VAT), officials detained 13 individuals.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the number of suspects later rose to 15.
According to law enforcement, data collected during the investigation indicates that representatives of companies transporting plants and plant products were systematically demanded and paid large bribes in exchange for phytosanitary certificates issued by the VAT to freight carriers.
At that time, the following individuals were already named as suspects: the suspended head of the VAT, Kornijenka; his deputy, Mantas Butas; advisor Agnė Silickienė; the head of the Alytus regional branch, Giedrius Urbelionis; and the acting head of the Kaunas regional branch, Dalia Šubonienė.
Silickienė is a former advisor to Saulius Skvernelis, a former member of the Central Election Commission, and a former chancellor of the Vilnius Regional Court.
During more than 100 searches, over 1.3 million euros in cash and 8 kilograms of gold, valued at approximately 1 million euros, were seized; 11,000 packs of cigarettes, 14,000 litres of alcohol, cocaine, and explosives were also found.
In February, searches were conducted at the homes and offices of parliamentarians Skvernelis and Starkevičius.
Starkevičius was a longtime member of the Seimas; he had served in parliament since 2004. The former politician, who holds a law degree, served on the Kaunas City Council, was the first deputy mayor, and served as the head of Kaunas County; in his public biography, Starkevičius also stated that he was a member of Sąjūdis.