Lithuanian court to rule on Vladimir Antonov of Snoras bank arrest next week

The court's spokesman Gintautas Stalnionis told BNS that Antonov's lawyer, his assistant, and prosecutors attended the Monday hearing.

Antonov's lawyer in Lithuania Gytis Kaminskas told BNS there had been no basis for ordering his client's arrest and the court was asked to lift it.

A Vilnius court ordered Antonov's arrest on 1 June. Antonon is now asking a court of higher instance to lift the arrest.

The first warrant for Antonov's arrest was issued last November as Antonov and Snoras' former president Raimondas Baranauskas were suspected of embezzling LTL 987 million (EUR 2814 million). Antonov's lawyer then also appealed but the court rejected the appeal in December. The court said then that factual information in the case proved that the former Snoras shareholders not only could but were in fact hiding from justice in the United Kingdom and were resisting extradition to Lithuania.

Lithuanian prosecutors doubled claims for Antonov and Baranauskas in May. The businessmen are alleged to have stolen around LTL 1.7 billion. Prosecutors say this amount will not changed any more.

At the request of Snoras' administrator, a UK court has granted an injunction freezing up to EUR 492 million worth of Antonov's assets.

The Russian businessman now lives in London.

In its 18 May injunction, a copy of which was obtained by BNS, the Commercial Court of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice ordered to freeze real estate directly and indirectly owned by Antonov, as well as his holdings of corporate securities and funds held in bank accounts.

On 14 November 2011, the Lithuanian Prosecutor General's Office opened a pre-trial investigation into alleged false accounting, document forgery, abuse, embezzlement, and money laundering at Snoras.

Shortly afterwards, suspicions of large-scale embezzlement and document forgery were brought against Antonov and Baranauskas, Snoras' former president and shareholder. Baranauskas is also suspected of fraudulent bookkeeping and abuse of official position. Both suspects are now in London.

Their extradition case was opened in London in late November 2011 after Lithuania's authorities issued a European arrest warrant.

The Westminster Magistrate's Court in London decided in mid-May to postpone the hearing of the case until July after the Lithuanian Prosecutor General issued a new European arrest warrant, in which Baranauskas and Antonov are accused of embezzling 700 million litas. This is down from 987 million litas mentioned in the previous warrant, which has been annulled.