Plant-safety officials took bribes worth 1.5 million euros to wave through import certificates, prosecutors say
Subject of this story
Also named
What happened
Lithuania's Prosecutor General's Office and the Special Investigation Service (STT) charged 13 people, including the head of the State Plant Service, Jurij Kornijenko, and other agency staff, with running a large-scale bribery scheme in which transport companies paid roughly 1.5 million euros total (some payments exceeding €12,500 each) to obtain phytosanitary certificates needed to legally export plant products. More than 100 searches conducted around December 11, 2025 turned up about €1.3 million in cash and eight kilograms of gold. Charges were formally announced December 17, 2025; six suspects were remanded in custody and seven released under restrictions.
By the numbers (2)
● confirmed by a primary document · ○ reported
Figures
1 source
- LRT (Lithuanian National Radio and Television) — LRT (Lithuanian National Radio and Television)Document
searches seized about 1.3 million euros in cash and eight kilograms of gold
1 source
- LRT (Lithuanian National Radio and Television) — LRT (Lithuanian National Radio and Television)Document
Thirteen people charged, including the head of the State Plant Service
Sources (1)
Response
Not yet contacted for this story.
Not yet contacted for this story.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.