86 Lithuanian lawmakers voted in favor of a draft resolution on immunity cancelation, 29 voted against and 15 abstained. At least 71 MPs need to support such a motion in order to pass it.
The Social Democrats, conservatives, and liberals unanimously voted in favor of the resolution as did three members of the non-affiliated political group and three members of the Path of Courage Party's political group, Aurelija Stancikienė, Vytautas Matulevičius, and Algirdas Patackas. Other members of the latter group did not attend the vote.
Petras Gražulis, elder of the Order and Justice Party group, had proposed to hold a secret ballot but the proposal was rejected.
The Prosecutor General's Office and Vilnius Regional Court had asked the Seimas to revoke Uspaskich's immunity.
Uspaskich and two other members of the Labor Party, Vytautas Gapšys and Vitalija Vonžutaitė, are standing trial in Vilnius Regional Court for organizing fraudulent bookkeeping while holding executive positions in the party in 2004-2006. The trio, as well as the party's former accountant Marina Liutkevičienė, are charged with fraud.
Based on the case materials, the Labor Party's financial documentation for the 2004-2006 period failed to include about LTL 25 million (EUR 7.3 million) in income and about LTL 23 million in spending related with property, commitments, and structural changes, and also failed to pay taxes of around LTL 4 million.
Uspaskich is facing up to 8 years in prison. He strongly denies all charges and says the case is politically motivated.
